United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE: UNFI) today announced the
appointment of J. Alexander (Sandy) Miller Douglas to the role of
Chief Executive Officer and a member of its Board of Directors
effective August 9, 2021. Mr. Douglas is a proven,
customer-focused, strategic leader who brings a broad background
and expertise in distribution, sales, marketing, and e-commerce as
the Company’s new CEO. Mr. Douglas was selected after an extensive
search to replace Mr. Steven Spinner, who earlier announced his
retirement as CEO and who will concurrently retire from the Board,
both effective August 9, 2021. Mr. Spinner will continue to provide
Management and Board advisory services to UNFI through a transition
period for up to one year after his retirement.
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Sandy Douglas named new UNFI CEO (Photo:
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Mr. Douglas most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of
Staples, Inc., leading the North American business-to-business
distribution platform’s strategic transformation and guiding the
Company throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to Staples, Mr.
Douglas served as President of Coca-Cola North America, overseeing
the $10 billion revenue business, encompassing all aspects of its
consumer and business-to-business operations. During Mr. Douglas’
30-year tenure at The Coca-Cola Company, he also served as Global
Chief Customer Officer, and held a variety of leadership positions
across sales and marketing.
“We are pleased to welcome Sandy as our new CEO and member of
the UNFI Board,” said Ms. Denise Clark, Chair of the Board’s
Nominating and Governance Committee and CEO Succession Planning
Committee. “He has a demonstrated track record leading large-scale
transformation and growth through strategic, customer-focused
action. His extensive experience, which is directly aligned with
UNFI’s focus on growing the core business while investing in
innovation, make Sandy well-suited to successfully drive the
Company through its next chapter of growth.”
Mr. Douglas said, “I am honored to join UNFI. The Company’s
vision to transform the future of food has never been more
important, and the opportunities in front of us are tremendous.
Under Steve, UNFI has built a strong foundation for growth, and I
look forward to working with UNFI’s exceptional leadership team,
the 30,000 hard-working associates across this entire organization
and our Board to continue delivering innovative growth platforms
that help make our customers stronger and our operations more
successful.”
“We also recognize Steve for his transformational impact on
UNFI,” said Mr. Michael Funk, Board member and co-Founder of UNFI.
“Since taking the helm in 2008, under his leadership, the Company
has become the largest grocery wholesaler in the country by
acquiring a variety of businesses and innovating new products and
services. Steve has navigated this tremendous growth and change the
right way, bringing teams together and preserving the culture of
UNFI and its core mission and values. As co-Founder of the Company,
I personally want to extend my gratitude for all that Steve has
accomplished during his 13 years at UNFI.”
Peter Roy, UNFI’s Lead Independent Director added, “Steve has
been a pioneer in the industry and leader of sustainable growth in
the food supply chain through progressive environmental, social and
governance commitments that truly are Better for All. The entire
Board thanks Steve for his dedication to and leadership of UNFI,
and we wish him all the best as he transitions into
retirement.”
“It has been my great honor to lead UNFI,” said Mr. Spinner. “I
am so proud of what this team, including Mr. Chris Testa, who will
continue in his President role, continues to achieve as the largest
grocery distributor in North America. With unmatched scale, product
and service offerings, and a commitment to innovation and
sustainability, I truly believe UNFI is positioned to deliver
exceptional value for its customers and stakeholders going
forward.”
Also effective as of August 9, 2021, the UNFI Board has elected
Mr. Jack Stahl to serve as Independent Chair of the Board. Mr.
Stahl has served in senior leadership positions throughout his
career, most recently as President and CEO of Revlon Inc., and
currently serves as Lead Director of Catalent, Inc. “Since joining
our Board, Jack has made meaningful contributions and developed
strong relationships,” said Ms. Clark. “Jack’s experience in
executive and board leadership roles provide a strong foundation
for his leadership of UNFI. The entire board looks forward to
working closely with Jack and Sandy as we guide UNFI’s growth and
support the entire team in their mission to transform the future of
food.”
With Mr. Stahl’s appointment as an independent Chair, Mr. Peter
Roy will step down as the Company’s Lead Director, a position he
has held since 2019, and will remain an active member of the UNFI
Board. “During Mr. Roy’s oversight as Lead Director, UNFI has met
the challenges of a rapidly changing macro environment, the global
pandemic, and significant senior leadership changes. His extensive
hands-on knowledge of the industry has been invaluable to the UNFI
Board over his tenure, and we look forward to his continued service
on the Board as the Company transforms the future of food,” said
Ms. Clark.
Mr. Stahl joined the Company’s Board in June 2019 and has served
as the Chair of the Compensation Committee since September 2020.
With Jack stepping into his new role as Chair of the Board, the
Compensation Committee has appointed Ms. Daphne Dufresne as the new
Compensation Committee Chair, also effective August 9, 2021. Mr.
Stahl will continue to serve as a member of the Committee.
About United Natural Foods UNFI is North America's
premier food wholesaler delivering the widest variety of products
to customer locations throughout North America including natural
product superstores, independent retailers, conventional
supermarket chains, ecommerce retailers, and food service
customers. By providing this deeper 'full-store' selection and
compelling brands for every aisle, UNFI is uniquely positioned to
deliver great food, more choices, and fresh thinking to customers
everywhere. Today, UNFI is the largest publicly traded grocery
distributor in America. To learn more about how UNFI is Moving Food
Forward, visit www.unfi.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210728005903/en/
FOR INVESTORS: Steve Bloomquist, 952-828-4144
Steve.J.Bloomquist@unfi.com
FOR MEDIA: Jeff Swanson, 952-903-1645
Jeffrey.s.swanson@unfi.com
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