The Coca-Cola Co. has named Tapaswee Chandele as global chief people officer, effective May 1, succeeding Lisa Chang, who is stepping down after a seven-year tenure. Chandele currently serves as SVP and executive assistant to President and CFO John Murphy, a position she has held since May 2025. She will report to CEO Henrique Braun. […]
Category: Executive News
Conagra Brands Names J.M. Smucker President, COO Brase As CEO
Conagra Brands has appointed John Brase as president and CEO, effective June 1. Brase, who will also join the company’s board of directors, succeeds Sean Connolly, who is stepping down after more than a decade leading the Chicago-based food company. Brase most recently served as president and COO of The J.M. Smucker Co., where he […]
Hy-Vee Mourns Loss Of First Female President
Donna Tweeten, a marketing executive who became Hy-Vee’s first female president and spent decades shaping the Midwestern grocer into a nationally recognized brand, died April 8. She had recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Tweeten retired from her role as president in January 2025 but remained with Hy-Vee as a consultant up until […]
Stewardship And Growth: Former AWG CEO Smith Reflects On Leading Through Change
As Associated Wholesale Grocers celebrates its centennial, former CEO David Smith looks back on his tenure with the perspective of a steward who sought to leave the cooperative stronger than he found it. Smith joined AWG in August 2003 as director of real estate. He stepped into the CEO role at the end of 2015, […]
Ohio Grocers Association’s Mullins Leaves Legacy Of Fighting The Impossible
Kristin Mullins started at the Ohio Grocers Association on April 4, 1990, as a receptionist. She is leaving as its president and CEO – and, by her own account, she’s ready. “A 36-year run – I think I’m ready for something, quite frankly, a little less demanding, a little less stressful,” she said with a […]
Walmart Appoints Cox As Chief Legal Officer
Walmart Inc. has appointed Erin Nealy Cox as EVP of global governance, chief legal officer and corporate secretary, effective April 13. Cox is coming from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where she served as a partner in the Government, Regulatory & Internal Investigations Practice Group since 2021. She previously served as the U.S. Attorney for the […]
AWG Taps Former Kroger Division Leader As COO
Associated Wholesale Grocers has appointed Joe Kelley as COO, effective May 4, overseeing merchandising, procurement, distribution, sales, marketing and division support center operations across AWG’s 33-state footprint. Kelley comes from Kroger, where he most recently served as SVP of retail divisions, leading 11 divisions across the central and western United States. His grocery career began […]
Hiland Dairy Names Leibacher General Manager Of Dallas Operation
Hiland Dairy Foods Co. has promoted Mike Leibacher to general manager of its Dallas-Fort Worth operation, effective March 1. He replaces Ray Gibson, who retired after a 43-year career in the dairy industry. Gibson spent decades serving the Dallas-Fort Worth market. He began in 1982 as a route salesman with Borden Dairy, rose through a […]
