Ahold Delhaize has nominated Thierry Garnier for appointment as a member of the management board and to serve as president and CEO.
Garnier is expected to succeed Frans Muller around the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to be held in April 2027. Muller will retire from the company and step down as president and CEO after leading the company since July 2018.
The appointment is subject to shareholder approval at an Extraordinary General Meeting and customary regulatory approval.
Track record in international retail
Garnier is a business leader with extensive international retail experience. He has served as CEO of Kingfisher plc, an international home improvement retailer, since September 2019.
Prior to joining Kingfisher, he spent more than two decades at Carrefour, where he held a range of senior roles including CEO of Carrefour International, CEO of Carrefour Asia and member of the group’s executive leadership.
He is also a non-executive director at Tesco plc. Garnier is recognized for driving transformation while balancing group scale with strong local execution.
Wiebe Draijer, chair of the Ahold Delhaize supervisory board, said Garnier’s leadership style aligns with the company’s identity.
“We are pleased to nominate Thierry as our proposed next president and CEO,” Draijer said.
“He is a seasoned leader with a strong track record in retail, digital transformation, deep international experience, and a clear focus on customers, associates and the future of grocery retail. Thierry’s approach to finding the right balance between leveraging group capabilities and staying close to local markets aligns well with Ahold Delhaize’s identity as a family of great local brands.”
Garnier said he looks forward to building on the company’s foundation.
“I am passionate about retail. I have long admired Ahold Delhaize as a company, and I am honored by the nomination,” Garnier said. “I look forward to getting to know the organization and its great local brands, and to working with teams across the group to keep serving customers well and creating value every day. My focus will be on building on the company’s strong foundations and the Growing Together strategy.”
Muller’s lasting impact
Muller joined the company in 2013 as CEO of Delhaize Group after an international career in food retail and wholesale.
He served as deputy CEO and chief integration officer of the company after the merger of Ahold and Delhaize Group in 2016. He was also acting COO for Delhaize America from October 2016 until January 2018. He was appointed president and CEO of Ahold Delhaize on July 1, 2018, and reappointed in 2023.
Draijer said Muller has played a defining role in the company’s evolution.
“Since the start of the merger process, Frans has played a defining role in shaping Ahold Delhaize into the strong, focused company it is today,” Draijer said.
“His leadership, deep understanding of our markets, and unwavering commitment to long-term value creation for all stakeholders have made a lasting mark on the group. I look forward to working closely with Frans in the coming period as he leads the company well into the next phase of execution of the Growing Together strategy, which is already delivering strong results for all stakeholders, and to ensuring a smooth and thoughtful transition as we move toward the planned CEO succession in 2027.”
Next steps
The supervisory board will propose Garnier’s appointment as a member of the management board and his designation as president and CEO at an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.
The date and convocation materials for the meeting will be published in due course. More details about exact leadership transition timings will be provided in the EGM materials.
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