The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) recently elected its 2017-18 officers and board of directors at its annual business meeting in Rosemont, Illinois. Erik Waterkotte, senior director of sales for Columbus Craft Meats, assumes the role of chairman of the board. He has served on the board of directors since 2010 and has been […]
Category: Executive News
Grocery industry executive news: appointments, promotions and leadership changes at retailers, wholesalers and suppliers.
Follow every leadership change in Executive Moves.
Former Walgreens Exec Joins Rite Aid As President And COO
Rite Aid Corp. has appointed Kermit Crawford, former EVP and president of pharmacy health and wellness for Walgreens, as president and COO, effective Oct. 5. “Kermit is a highly experienced retail pharmacy industry executive with exceptional leadership capabilities,” said John Standley, chairman and CEO of Rite Aid, based in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. “This is an especially […]
Bruhn To Join Pabst As Chief Marketing Officer
Pabst Brewing Co. (PBC), an independent brewer, has named Matt Bruhn to the role of chief marketing officer (CMO), effective Oct. 2. In this role, he will oversee marketing for the entire PBC portfolio, including heritage, imports, craft and other categories. Bruhn will take over the responsibilities of Dan McHugh, PBC’s previous CMO for the […]
Kroger Atlanta Division Director Promoted To Smith’s Merchandising VP
Kroger has promoted Deana Collins to VP of merchandising for the grocer’s Smith’s division. Collins most recently served as director of regional operations in Kroger’s Atlanta division. At Smith’s, she will oversee merchandising efforts the division’s 138 stores in seven western states. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Smith’s employs 18,000 associates. “Throughout the years, Deana […]
Former Coca-Cola Leader Cahillane Named Kellogg CEO As Bryant Retires
Kellogg CEO John A. Bryant is retiring. Steven A. Cahillane has been elected CEO of the company, effective Oct. 2. Cahillane has served as president and CEO of The Nature’s Bounty, a health and wellness business, since 2014. Cahillane also will join the company’s board of directors. Bryant will continue as executive chairman of the […]
James Sumas To Step Down As Chairman/CEO Of Village Super Market
James Sumas has notified the board of directors of Village Super Market of his decision to step down as CEO and chairman of the board of effective Dec. 15. He also will not stand for re-election to the board at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders that takes place Dec. 15. The board of Village […]
Utz Quality Foods Reveals New Leadership Team Members
Utz Quality Foods added three executives to its senior team in April, the company announced Sept. 25. They are: Tom Flocco, president and COO; Mark Schreiber, EVP and chief customer officer; and Jay Thompson, EVP and CFO. Flocco has more than 30 years of CPG experience, most recently serving as operating partner, chairman and CEO with […]
Griffin Succeeds Chesnut As Chairman Of Laurel Grocery Co.
At the Laurel Grocery Co. board meeting on Aug. 29, Bruce Chesnut announced his planned retirement from his role as chairman of the board of the London, Kentucky-based grocery company. Chesnut has served as chairman for more than 25 years and will remain as a member of the board. He will celebrate his 50th year […]
Michigan Grocers, Retailers Associations To Join Forces On Jan. 1
The Michigan Grocers Association (MGA) and the Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) are combining operations effective Jan. 1, 2018. Michigan Grocers will become a division of the Michigan Retailers Association. With the change, MGA President and CEO Linda M. Gobler, who has been an advocate for the retail food industry for 32 years, will retire but […]
Dollar Tree Begins Planned Leadership Succession
As part of discount variety store operator Dollar Tree Inc.’s planned leadership succession, Bob Sasser, the company’s CEO since 2004, assumed the role of executive chairman of the board, effective Sept. 18. Macon Brock will remain on the board and has been named chairman emeritus. Sasser, age 65, joined Dollar Tree in 1999 as COO. He was promoted to […]
Beef Promotion & Research Board Searching For A New CEO
The Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board (CBB) has launched a national search to fill the position of CEO after accepting the resignation of current CEO Polly Ruhland in late August. CBB’s primary function is to oversee and administrate the national beef checkoff through the management of programs that are proposed and carried out by various […]
Batenic Stepping Down As IGA President & CEO, Successor Named
Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) announced Sept. 18 that John Ross, current president of Inmar Promotion Network, will become president and CEO of IGA Inc., succeeding current IGA Chairman, President and CEO Mark Batenic, in mid-October. Ross will work closely during the transition with Batenic, who will remain chairman of the board until his retirement on […]
Starbucks Taps Former Sam’s Club Exec As Group President And COO
Starbucks Corp. has appointed Rosalind Brewer group president and COO, effective Oct. 2. Brewer, former president and CEO of Sam’s Club and current Starbucks board member, has more than 30 years of management experience and more than 10 years of experience leading multi-national retailers. “Starbucks is a culture-first company focused on performance, and Roz is […]
GMA Presents Mariano And Powell With Its Highest Honor
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has presented its highest honor, the Hall of Achievement Award, to Bob Mariano of Roundy’s Inc. and Ken Powell of General Mills. The awards were presented Saturday at the GMA Leadership Forum at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The Hall of Achievement Award recognizes the service and extraordinary […]
Acosta Reshapes Its Customer-Client Service Team
The national office of Acosta has appointed Ashley Taylor as chief customer officer. The new position was created as a result of the promotion of Darian Pickett to chief client officer. Both Taylor and Pickett will report directly to Acosta President and CEO Steve Matthesen. Both appointments were made to better service Acosta’s customers and […]
Target Names Pak Chief Strategy And Innovation Officer
Target Corp. has appointed Minsok Pak EVP, chief strategy and innovation officer. Pak will be responsible for Target’s enterprise strategy development and retail innovation with the goal of enhancing the guest experience and accelerating growth. He also will oversee business development for the company, including mergers, acquisitions, partnerships and joint venture initiatives. He will report […]
NGA Hires VP Of Government Relations And Counsel
Christopher Jones, former legislative director and counsel for U.S. Representative Rick Crawford (R-AR), a member of the House Agriculture Committee and Nutrition Subcommittee, is joining the National Grocers Association (NGA). He will serve as VP and counsel for the government relations department at NGA, which represents the independent supermarket industry. Jones will oversee the association’s […]
Wegmans Sets Leadership Team For New Montvale, N.J., Store
Wegmans Food Markets announced the leadership team that will manage its new store in Montvale, New Jersey, which opens Sept. 24 at West Grand Avenue and Mercedes Drive. This group consists of the store manager, executive chef, pharmacy area manager and three area managers, who each supervise several departments. Together, the managers collectively have 89 […]
Q&A With Supervalu’s New West Region Wholesale President Leon Bergmann
Leon Bergmann has been named president of West Region Wholesale for Supervalu, effective immediately. “Leon’s experience at both Unified (Grocers) and Supervalu will allow him to hit the ground running as we incorporate customers from the western United States into the larger Supervalu family of retailers. I’m thrilled he has accepted this opportunity to be […]
Former Target Exec Takes Over As CEO Of Fiesta Mart As Byars Steps Down
Houston-based Fiesta Mart has appointed Sid Keswani as its new CEO. He replaces Mike Byars. Keswani has extensive retail background and a proven track record of success, according to Fiesta. He previously served 19 years at Target Corp., rising to the rank SVP. Prior to working with Target, Keswani served as SVP of operations for Susser Holdings, […]
