Ahold Delhaize shareholders approved four board appointments October 13, formally adding three executives to the company’s Management Board and a technology industry veteran to its Supervisory Board as the international grocery retailer prepares for a change in its top leadership in 2027.
At an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, the company approved the appointments of Thierry Garnier, Claire Peters and Margaret Versteden-Van Duijn to the Management Board. Shareholders also elected Edmond Mesrobian to the Supervisory Board.
The approvals formalize leadership changes announced earlier this year, including Garnier’s selection to succeed Frans Muller as president and CEO in 2027. The exact transition date will be determined by the Supervisory Board. Muller, who has led Ahold Delhaize since July 2018, will retire from the company.
Garnier, currently CEO of British home improvement retailer Kingfisher plc, previously spent more than two decades with Carrefour, where he held several international leadership positions, including CEO of Carrefour Asia and Carrefour International. He has led Kingfisher since 2019.
Supervisory Board Chairman Wiebe Draijer said Garnier brings extensive retail and digital transformation experience to the position.
“We are confident that he will build on Ahold Delhaize’s strong foundations and work closely with our brands and leadership teams,” Draijer said.
U.S. and European Leadership Changes Formalized
Peters, who became CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA on September 8, joins the Management Board following a career spanning more than 30 years in international grocery and retail operations.
Before joining Ahold Delhaize, she served as vice president of worldwide fresh at Amazon, overseeing fresh retail businesses in North America and international markets. She previously held senior leadership positions at Australia’s Woolworths Group and spent more than two decades with Tesco, including serving as chief operating officer of Tesco Thailand.
Peters oversees Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. grocery operations, including Food Lion, Giant Food, The Giant Co., Hannaford and Stop & Shop.
During the shareholder meeting, Peters emphasized the importance of the company’s regional supermarket brands and their relationships with local customers.
“Our teams across the U.S. are at the heart of what makes our brands special, together with their strong heritages, deep community roots and unwavering focus on serving customers with excellence,” she said.
Versteden-Van Duijn, meanwhile, formally assumed the CEO position for Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia following her appointment as executive vice president of the division October 1.
She joined the company in 2015 and has held leadership positions at Dutch online retailer bol, including brand president. More recently, she served as brand president of Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall.
Her appointment follows the departure of Claude Sarrailh, whose decision to leave the company was announced in May.
Technology Veteran Joins Supervisory Board
Mesrobian brings extensive technology and digital transformation experience to Ahold Delhaize’s Supervisory Board.
He previously served as chief technology and information officer at Nordstrom and chief technology officer at Tesco and Expedia Group. His earlier career included technology leadership positions at RealNetworks and The Walt Disney Company.
Mesrobian also serves as a nonexecutive director at Entain and Criteo.
His appointment adds technology expertise to the company’s supervisory leadership as Ahold Delhaize continues investing in digital commerce, operational efficiency and technology-enabled retail services.
The appointments support Ahold Delhaize’s Growing Together strategy, which emphasizes local supermarket brands, customer-focused innovation, digital transformation, operational excellence and disciplined capital allocation.
Following the October 13 meeting, the company’s current Management Board consists of Muller, CFO Jolanda Poots-Bijl, Peters and Versteden-Van Duijn. Garnier will join the company and assume his Management Board position when he succeeds Muller in 2027.
The leadership changes come as Ahold Delhaize continues coordinating operations across its U.S. and international businesses while maintaining separate regional supermarket banners and management structures.