Providence, Rhode Island-based United Natural Foods Inc. has appointed Louis Martin to the newly created position of chief strategy and transformation officer.
Martin, who currently serves as president of the Global Walmart Customer Team at The Coca-Cola Co., will join UNFI on March 21 and will report to CEO Sandy Douglas.
“As we execute and evolve our fuel the future strategy, we are committed to building on both existing and new business platforms to deliver long-term, sustainable growth. The creation of this new role reflects our confidence in the value UNFI is positioned to generate across our entire ecosystem, including customers, suppliers, partners and investors,” Douglas said. “Louis is a seasoned leader with both a strategic and an operations background. His addition to our team will help drive UNFI’s next chapter of growth.”
“I am excited to join UNFI and play a role in accelerating the many growth opportunities ahead. I look forward to engaging with the talented UNFI team as we build new capabilities to enhance our customer experience,” Martin said.
Under the new leadership structure, he will oversee UNFI’s revenue management, continuous improvement and project management office.
During his 15 years with Coca-Cola, Martin held a range of positions from strategic initiatives, where he led the integration of the glaceau beverage business into the North America bottling system, to investor relations, where he supported the development and communication of Coca-Cola’s long-term strategic vision to the investment community.
Before leading the Global Walmart Customer team, he was SVP of system evolution for Coca-Cola North America, where he guided the refranchising and transformation efforts of Coca-Cola’s North American bottling, distribution and supply chain businesses.
Prior to working with Coca-Cola, Martin was with McKinsey & Co. from 2002 to 2007, where he led strategic and operational transformation initiatives across the globe, including in the U.S., Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, Switzerland and Japan.
Born in Puerto Rico, Martin holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Princeton University as well as an MBA in finance and management from the Stern School of Business at New York University.
For more information, visit unfi.com.
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