Dive Brief:
- Ahold Delhaize USA announced Wednesday that it has promoted a pair of senior executives to expanded roles, naming Sanja Krajnovic as chief supply chain officer and Keith Nicks as chief commercial and digital officer.
- Krajnovic formerly served as executive vice president of the grocery company’s distribution and transportation groups, while Nicks previously held the title of chief digital officer.
- The promotions follow Ahold Delhaize USA’s appointment earlier in April of Ann Dozier as chief information officer.
Dive Insight:
Krajnovic and Nicks both bring broad retail industry experience to their new positions with the Dutch supermarket operator’s U.S. unit, which runs about 2,000 locations under banners including Food Lion, Giant Food, The Giant Company, Stop & Shop and Hannaford.
Ahold Delhaize USA noted in the announcement about Krajnovic’s promotion that she helped the company decrease its reliance on third-party distributors. The grocer currently controls about 90% of its distribution network and operates more than 20 distribution centers, all of which fall under Krajnovic’s purview.
“Given the scope of her role leading one of the largest supply chains on the East Coast … it is important to have Sanja and her teams represented within our U.S. leadership group,” JJ Fleeman, CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA, said in a statement.
Krajnovic joined Ahold Delhaize USA in August 2022 from Dollar General, where she oversaw operations for more than 9,000 of the discount chain’s locations as senior vice president of store operations. She previously served in multiple positions for Target, including group vice president of global supply chain and logistics.
In his newly expanded role, Nicks is taking on responsibility for commercial operations at Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. businesses, including private brands, sourcing and merchandising. He will retain oversight of the company’s digital functions, including retail media, omnichannel marketing and e-commerce fulfillment partnerships.
Nicks “is a trusted advisor, passionate about our business of selling groceries and is recognized throughout the organization for being a dedicated leader who drives innovation, performance and change, and I am excited about all he will bring to this role,” Fleeman said.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Nicks became Ahold Delhaize USA’s chief digital officer in April 2024 after serving for more than five years as a senior executive of Peapod Digital Labs, which provided technology-related services, including app development, to the grocer’s U.S. banners. Last year, Ahold Delhaize USA rolled Peapod Digital Labs into a unified support group that also includes its former Retail Business Services division.
Nicks previously served in several roles for Food Lion, including director of retail marketing and category manager.
Ahold Delhaize USA’s latest executive changes follow the departure of former Vice President of Omnichannel Planning and Execution Rudy DiPietro, who became president of Kroger’s Dallas Division in March. The company named new presidents of Food Lion and Stop & Shop in 2024.
