Movers & Shakers: New CEOs at Ahold Delhaize USA, Pilot, Foxtrot and Loblaw
Fleeman assumes CEO position at Ahold Delhaize USA
JJ Fleeman on April 12 officially assumed his new role as CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA, which owns popular supermarket banners such as Giant, Food Lion and Stop & Shop. Fleeman was nominated member of the Ahold Delhaize Management Board and CEO by former CEO Kevin Holt, who announced his plans to retire last year. Holt will remain in an advisory capacity at the company until the end of this year. Fleeman was previously the president of Peapod Digital Labs and the chief commercial and digital officer at Ahold Delhaize USA, roles he began in 2018, a release said.
“JJ is an inspiring leader who will advance the U.S. businesses through omnichannel market share growth and who will continue to deliver on the Connected Customer strategy that Kevin has so carefully developed and implemented with the team over the past few years,” said Peter Agnefjäll, chief of the supervisory board of Ahold Delhaize, in the release.
Williams named Foxtrot CEO
Modern convenience store Foxtrot in April named Liz Williams CEO of the company. She first joined Foxtrot last summer as president and chief financial officer (CFO) . She previously held roles at Taco Bell, where she was the CFO and later the president of Taco Bell International, according to CS News. She’s also a board member at Stitch Fix and was previously the CEO of Drybar, according to her LinkedIn profile. Mike LaVitola, the co-founder of the chain and previous CEO, transitioned to chairman of the board.
Pilot names new CEO and CFO
Tennessee-based gas station and c-store chain Pilot Co. on April 10 named Adam Wright its CEO and Joe Lillo as CFO. The two will start their roles on May 30, a release said. Shameek Konar, the current CEO, and Kevin Wills, the current CFO, will exit the company following the transition. Both Wright and Lillo come from roles at Berkshire Hathaway, which became the majority owner of Pilot Co. at the end of January. Wright has worked at Berkshire Hathaway since 1996, most recently as the COO and executive vice president of operations at Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Lillo has worked at Berkshire for more than 25 years and since 2002 has been the vice president of finance at Northern Natural Gas, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Loblaw selects Bank for president and CEO
Per Bank will join Canadian grocery chain Loblaw as CEO formally by the first quarter of 2024, a release said. Bank was most recently the CEO of Salling Group A/S, a Denmark retailer with 1,700 supermarkets in the country, according to the release. Lowblaw said the search for the new CEO, which began last year, started because COO Robert Sawyer plans to retire at the end of this year. Galen Weston, current CEO of Loblaw, will remain chair of the Loblaw board of directors and remain the CEO and chair of parent company George West Limited, according to the release.
Changes in leadership at Wakefern Food Corp.
Elena Kabasinskas on April 17 was named group vice president for strategy, planning and transformation at Wakefern Food Corp., the retailer-owned food cooperative that operates banners including ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace and Fairway Market. She will be responsible for transforming, planning and strengthening business practices while deploying new technologies, according to a release. She previously spent more than a decade at The Estée Lauder Cos., where she most recently served as senior vice president of global transformation and special projects. She will report to Michael Day, who was promoted to senior vice president of strategy, business development and architecture, the release said. Day joined Wakerfern in 1999, most recently serving as group vice president of strategic planning, business development and retail services.
Walmart’s chief merchandising officer departs
Charles Redfield, Walmart’s chief merchandising officer, will transition out of the role on May 1, CNN Business reported, citing an internal memo. Redfield has been employed by the retailer for more than three decades, and became chief merchandising officer at the beginning of 2022, the report said. Redfiled will remain at the company in an advisory role. He began his career working as a cashier at a Sam’s Club store, eventually becoming an assistant manager and working his way up the company, CNN reported.
Dilts promoted at Dollar General
Kelly Dilts has been promoted to Dollar General’s executive vice president and CFO, effective May 1, according to an April 20 release. Dilts replaces John Garratt, who is retiring as president and CFO on June 2. Dilts will remain president until his retirement. Dilts joined the discount retailer in 2019, serving as its senior vice president of finance. Dilts has had previous roles at Francesca’s Holdings Corp., where she was the executive vice president and CFO, and Tailored Brands Inc., where she held several titles, the release said.