Tim Massa, The Kroger Co.’s EVP and chief associate experience officer, will retire Sept. 18 following 16 years of leadership at the company and more than three decades in human resources.
Massa joined Kroger in 2010 after a 21‑year career at Procter & Gamble. Prior to his current positions, he rose through senior leadership roles, including VP of talent development, group VP of human resources and labor relations, chief people officer and SVP.
As Kroger’s most senior HR executive, Massa led strategy across talent, leadership development, labor relations, total rewards, associate well‑being and culture.
“Tim has been a relatable and trusted leader throughout his time at Kroger,” said Kroger CEO Greg Foran. “He cares deeply about our associates and built a people organization that supports and respects them. We appreciate Tim’s many contributions over the years and wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Massa was an early architect of Kroger’s New Beginnings program, which creates pathways for hourly employees to build long‑term careers. His tenure spanned the COVID‑19 pandemic, where he guided the company’s people response, and he helped author Kroger’s Framework for Action. He also worked with Kroger’s board on executive succession planning.
“Tim Massa is the kind of leader every company hopes to have, and every board is fortunate to work with,” said Kroger Chairman Ron Sargent.
“For 16 years, Tim has been a champion for Kroger’s associates and a trusted partner to our board of directors. He built a world‑class people organization, navigated the company through some of its most defining moments and quietly shaped a generation of leaders who will carry Kroger forward for years to come.”
Massa’s influence extends beyond Kroger. He serves on the boards of the CHRO Association, the National Academy of Human Resources (which named him a Fellow in 2024) and the Center for Executive Succession Advisory Board at the University of South Carolina. He was recognized as one of Mogul’s Top People Leaders for 2026.
“It has been the honor of my career to serve the associates at Kroger,” Massa said. “From day one at Kroger, I believed that our people and our company values are what make this company special, and after 16 years, I continue to believe our people are the experience makers that create the customer experience we strive for, one customer at a time.”
Massa’s successor will be named later. In retirement, he plans to continue developing leaders through executive coaching and board service.
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Tim Massa is the best of the best at Kroger. When the late Don Becker and his team, including Jeff Burt and other Kroger veterans, asked me to design and operate Murray’s Cheese shops within Kroger superstores, it was my privilege to work with Tim on the people part of the program. We trained over 5000 ‘Red Jackets’ for what are now almost 1300 Murray’s shops across the land – a huge success -and without Tim’s help that massive recruitment and selection would not have been possible. This is a loss for Kroger and its new CEO, who truly has his work cut out for him after a long period of poor choices and missed opportunities. Under the prior CEO, who resigned under still mysterious circumstances, there were only a few people left to speak truth to power, and that lingering fear is one thing the new CEO will need to contend with. That, and a renewed commitment to innovation in food merchandising; an emphasis on training and retaining good people at a decent wage; improved buying in a better supply chain to bring down costs and therefore retail prices; and an over-reliance on expensive tech solutions rather than people’s everyday grocery needs.