Thierry Garnier is nominated to serve as president and CEO, succeeding Frans Muller who will retire in April 2027
Ahold Delhaize has announced that its supervisory board has nominated Thierry Garnier to serve as president and Chief Executive Officer.
This appointment is subject to shareholder approval at an Extraordinary General Meeting and customary regulatory approval, the Belgium-based retailer explained.
Garnier is expected to succeed Frans Muller around the Annual General Meeting of shareholders to be held in April 2027.
Muller will retire from the company and step down as president and CEO after leading the company since July 2018.
Garnier has extensive international retail experience, having served as CEO of Kingfisher, an international home improvement retailer, since September 2019.
Prior to joining Kingfisher he spent more than two decades at Carrefour, and he is also a non-executive director at Tesco.
”We are pleased to nominate Thierry as our proposed next president and CEO,” said Wiebe Draijer, chair of the supervisory board of Ahold Delhaize.
”He is a seasoned leader with a strong track record in retail, digital transformation, deep international experience, and a clear focus on customers, associates and the future of grocery retail.
”Thierry’s approach to finding the right balance between leveraging group capabilities and staying close to local markets aligns well with Ahold Delhaize’s identity as a family of great local brands,” Draijer noted.
“I am passionate about retail,” confirmed Garnier. ”I have long admired Ahold Delhaize as a company, and I am honoured by the nomination.
”I look forward to getting to know the organisation and its great local brands, and to working with teams across the group to keep serving customers well and creating value every day.
“My focus will be on building on the company’s strong foundations and the Growing Together strategy,” he outlined.
The outgoing Muller joined the company in 2013 as CEO of Delhaize Group, serving as deputy CEO and chief integration officer after the merger of Ahold and Delhaize in 2016.
He was appointed president and CEO of Ahold Delhaize on 1 July 2018, and was reappointed in 2023.
“Since the start of the merger process, Frans has played a defining role in shaping Ahold Delhaize into the strong, focused company it is today,” Draijer continued.
”His leadership, deep understanding of our markets, and unwavering commitment to long-term value creation for all stakeholders have made a lasting mark on the group.
”I look forward to working closely with Frans in the coming period as he leads the company well into the next phase of execution of the Growing Together strategy, which is already delivering strong results for all stakeholders, and to ensuring a smooth and thoughtful transition as we move toward the planned CEO succession in 2027,” he added.
Meanwhile, the retailer has also revealed that Claude Sarrailh, CEO Ahold Delhaize Europe and Indonesia, has informed the company that he will pursue a career opportunity with Italian food retail chain Esselunga as their new chief executive.
“I want to thank Claude for his contribution to Ahold Delhaize, and I have confidence in our leadership team to continue delivering our strategy,” said Muller.
“Claude has been a valued colleague and leader, with a keen eye for leveraging scale across the company, including such areas as sourcing and digital, while fostering collaboration across markets.
”We appreciate his perspective in our management board discussions and wish him well for the future.”
