Albertsons Names New CEO
Albertsons Companies has revealed its CEO succession plan as its current Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Susan Morris will take the company’s top spot following the planned retirement of Vivek Sankaran on May 1.
During the transition period, Morris will work closely with Sankaran to continue execution of the company’s Customers for Life strategy. On the effective date, Morris will join the Albertsons Cos. Board of Directors, replacing Sankaran.
“At a time of profound change for the grocery industry, I am honored to be appointed as the next CEO of Albertsons Cos.,” said Morris. “I have worked closely with Vivek and the leadership team on our plans to accelerate growth and am confident that we are on the right path with our Customers for Life strategy. Albertsons Cos. has an incredibly bright future and the best team in the business – I am energized about the many opportunities that lie ahead.”
Morris has been in her current position since January 2018. In this role, she leads the company’s retail operations, overseeing more than 2,200 stores across 34 states.
She has nearly 40 years of experience in the retail grocery industry and has held a variety of leadership roles across the company.
Her experience includes serving as executive vice president of Regional Operations; division president in two markets; and various other roles across merchandising and operations. She began her retail career at an Albertsons store in the Denver market. She serves on the Board of Directors of IDACORP Inc and the Food Marketing Institute.
“The board is confident that Susan is the ideal person to lead the company into its next chapter of growth,” said Jim Donald, chair of the Albertsons Cos. Board of Directors. “She is highly respected across the organization and industry, with a strong track record of operational success and passion for serving our customers and communities.”
The retiring Sankaran added, “Susan embodies the best of Albertsons Cos.’ culture, with a strong track record of leading and building high-performance teams. I have no doubt in her ability to usher in a new phase of growth and improve our value proposition with customers and the communities where we operate.”
The reveal of Albertsons’ CEO succession plan comes the same day Kroger announced the resignation of its CEO Rodney McMullen following an internal investigation by Kroger’s Board of Directors. In a statement, Kroger did not offer details of the investigation, but noted the conduct in question, while unrelated to the business, was inconsistent with the company’s Policy on Business Ethics.
The CEO changes at two of the biggest grocers in the United States come less than three months after a proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons was scuttled by a federal court judge who ruled the union of the two would have had a negative impact on competition in the traditional supermarket channel.
