Transformation agenda focused on improving UNFI’s customer and supplier experience
Providence, Rhode Island-based United Natural Foods Inc. has promoted two senior leaders to better align leadership teams and resources to drive its customer-centric strategy and transformation agenda. Erin Horvath has been appointed COO and Louis Martin has been named president of wholesale.
UNFI has outlined the core tenets of its four-part transformation program. Key initiatives of the plan will include network automation and optimization, commercial value creation, digital offering enhancement and infrastructure unification and modernization.
Horvath and Martin will join President Chris Testa, who oversees UNFI’s services platform, to use the combined knowledge of industry veterans and leaders to form a team of operators with experience in these types of capability improvement programs.
“This operational leadership team, made up of UNFI veterans and new leaders, is equipped to help us accelerate improvement in our customer and supplier experience, our operating efficiency, and digital and physical infrastructure,” said CEO Sandy Douglas.
“With our transformation plan nearly complete and the realignment of our leadership teams in place, we are well positioned to become a unique value creator for our customers, suppliers, associates and shareholders.”
As COO, Horvath will be responsible for driving project management underpinning the improvement plan, enhancing UNFI’s legacy integration and physical infrastructure, as well as ensuring successful implementation of the digital, technology and automation initiatives.
Mark Bushway, chief supply chain officer, will report to Horvath and partner with her to drive improved process and standardization across the supply chain. Horvath joined UNFI in October after more than 17 years in senior leadership roles with AmerisourceBergen Corporation, a global pharmaceutical wholesale company. She brings expertise in driving transformation initiatives in large scale wholesale distribution systems.
Martin joined UNFI in March 2022 and has been a leader in the development of UNFI’s strategy and transformation agenda, as well as in spearheading the creation and early-stage development of the company’s digital roadmap. Steve Dietz, chief customer officer, will report to Martin and continue to lead UNFI’s field sales and merchandising organizations with a focus on UNFI’s regional and independently-owned customers.
Before joining UNFI, Martin served for 15 years in a variety of senior leadership positions with The Coca-Cola Company, including overseeing the Global Walmart Customer team, where he built leading customer service capabilities. Martin will lead the evolution of UNFI’s customer-centric strategy by integrating national and regional customer organizations, revenue growth management and the commercial planning teams.
To learn more about UNFI, visit unfi.com.
