Ahold Delhaize names new chief sustainability officer

Dive Brief:

Ahold Delhaize announced Tuesday it has appointed Alex Holt as its chief sustainability officer and as a member of its executive committee, effective no later than June 1, 2024.
Holt is currently Woolworths Group’s chief sustainability officer — a role she has held since June 2021 — and a member of that company’s executive committee.
Holt succeeds Jan Ernst de Groot, who became the Dutch grocer’s first chief sustainability officer in summer 2022 and is retiring at the end of May.

Dive Insight:

In taking over the role, Holt will drive sustainability initiatives across the organization, supply chain operations and with brand partners, per the announcement.

Holt has been with Woolworths since 2011 where she’s held roles leading various commercial teams before becoming the company’s general manager of sustainability, health and quality in 2016 and then chief sustainability officer in June 2021.

Ahold Dehaize chief sustainability officer Alex Holt — Courtesy of Ahold Delhaize

Before Woolworths, Holt worked for Tesco for seven years in business improvement, merchandising and sourcing positions.

Holt is stepping into the dedicated sustainability role on Ahold Delhaize’s executive committee that the company said in de Groot’s retirement announcement last month it would create.

“[Holt] brings relevant experience from a food retail, business leadership and sustainability perspective,” Ahold Delhaize CEO and President Frans Muller said in a statement. “She is a sharp thinker and inspiring leader with a deep understanding of the challenges and impact that this role brings in a food retail company with ambitions with regard to health, nature, and climate.”

Holt, who is British/Australian, will move with her husband from Australia to the Netherlands, the announcement noted.

Ahold Delhaize created the chief sustainability officer role in August 2022 and appointed de Groot to the position along with retaining his title as existing chief legal officer. In the sustainability role, de Groot headed up Ahold Delhaize’s Environmental Social Governance (ESG) work.

Ahold Delhaize announced last month that Linn Evans, currently chief legal officer and general counsel at Ahold Delhaize USA, will become chief legal officer role on April 15, 2024, replacing de Groot.