Albertsons Companies has announced that Jennifer Saenz will join the company as EVP and chief merchandising officer effective July 12, 2021. In this position, she will be responsible for all areas of merchandising within the company, including own brands. Saenz will also be responsible for further strengthening the company’s relationships with its brand partners. She will join Albertsons senior leadership team and report to Vivek Sankaran, president and CEO.
Geoff White, currently Albertsons’ EVP and chief merchandising officer, remains with the company but is currently on a leave of absence.
“We’re excited to welcome Jennifer to the Albertsons team,” said Sankaran. “A commitment to serving our customers with a broad and differentiated assortment of products is a key aspect of our transformation strategy. Jennifer’s extensive global industry experience and proven track record of driving growth through marketing, analytics and product innovation, grounded in a deep understanding of the consumer, will allow her to make significant contributions to our business and elevate the Albertsons brand for our customers, brand partners and associates.”
Saenz, 43, has more than 15 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods sector, holding roles of increasing responsibility within PepsiCo since 2005. Since 2019, she has served as global chief marketing officer and president of the company’s global foods, with responsibility for the $30 billion PepsiCo Foods portfolio. From 2015 to 2019 Saenz served as SVP and CMO of PepsiCo Foods North America, where she accelerated growth and drove innovation for the $16 billion snacking portfolio. From 2009 to 2015 she held a number of brand and customer marketing positions within Frito-Lay.
“I am honored to join Albertsons, and to work with Vivek and the Company’s talented management team,” said Saenz. “Albertsons is undertaking a transformation that is further strengthening its position as an industry leader focused on deepening its relationship with customers. I am excited to leverage my experience and partner with our vendors to continue providing great products and great value to our customers.”
Saenz graduated from The Goizueta School of Business at Emory University with a bachelor of business administration and received an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Saenz has been recognized for her professional accomplishments through a number of awards, including Fast Company’s Most Creative People in 2018, Brand Innovators’ Top 100 Women in Marketing in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and AdWeek’s Brand Genius Award in 2017.
White was promoted to EVP and chief merchant at Albertsons in September 2019. He had previously served as president of the retailer’s “own brands” division, beginning in April 2017. Prior to that, White was SVP of marketing and merchandising for the Northern California Division (Safeway stores) from 2015 to April 2017. From 2004 to 2015, White held various leadership roles, including director of Canadian produce operations, at Safeway. He started with Safeway at the store level in Burnaby, British Columbia, in 1981.