Lidl Overhauls Leadership Team
The executive leadership team at Lidl US has four new faces with each bringing a host of grocery industry experience to the company.
On board at the discount grocer are Miguel Paradela, executive vice president of Purchasing and Chief Commercial Officer; Frank Kerr, chief customer officer; Tod Seiling, vice president of Fresh; and Michael Chao, head of Marketing.
Reporting to CEO, Joel Rampoldt, Paradela will be responsible for setting the long-term strategy for the buying and merchandising function at Lidl US. He has more than 25 years of experience with the international grocer, where he most recently served as the general manager of Purchasing and Marketing for Lidl Spain.
Kerr will serve as Lidl’s first chief customer officer, responsible for driving a holistic consumer experience. Returning to Lidl US for a second stint, where he was one of the company’s first 50 employees, he will bring all customer-centric activities together in this newly created team, which will include consumer insights, marketing, loyalty and promotions. Kerr has been in the US grocery industry for more than 20 years and has worked at major brands including Save A Lot and Nestle. He will report to Paradela.
With almost 30 years of experience, Seiling will oversee all fresh food buying including meat, fish, poultry and produce. Joining most recently from Save a Lot where he served as vice president of Fresh Merchandising, Seiling has spent his entire career in fresh food. He previously held roles at Walmart, Albertsons, Rouses Market and Farmland Foods, a division of Smithfield Foods, among others. Seiling will report to Paradela.
Chao brings to Lidl US years of experience and has worked in senior marketing roles at Dollar General, JOANN Stores and Walmart. At Lidl US, Chao will be responsible for driving brand awareness and customer loyalty as the business continues to grow in the U.S. market. He will report to Kerr.
“I am excited to welcome Miguel, Frank, Tod and Michael to the team,” said Joel Rampoldt, CEO of Lidl US. “Their combined expertise, incredible leadership and the work of their talented teams will be crucial to our success as we continue to deliver high quality products at low prices for our customers. At Lidl, we are committed to boosting the customer experience at all of our stores and having the right talent in place is necessary to achieve our goals.”
