In the last several years, Target has reshuffled the top echelon of its merchandising leadership, shifting responsibility for different segments of the retailer’s offerings to its most gifted executives as its business has rapidly evolved.
Leslie Sarasin was named president and chief executive officer of FMI – The Food Industry Association, in 2008, when it was still known as the Food Marketing Institute.
Katie Scanlon is a forceful advocate for pharmacy, with a firm belief that pharmacists are a critical yet underutilized component of health care.
Vinima Shekhar, vice president of merchandising for wellness at Walmart, is responsible for developing and implementing the retailer’s wellness strategies, with a focus on expanding access to affordable health and wellness products and services.
As chief sustainability officer for Dollar Tree Inc., Jennifer Silberman oversees corporate citizenship and ESG for the company and its more than 16,000 Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores in the United States and Canada.
Karen Staniforth began her pharmacy career in 1982 in Johannesburg, South Africa, 8,000 miles from Rite Aid Corp.’s headquarters. Though she is now chief pharmacy officer at Rite Aid, she never thought she’d actually become a pharmacist when she was younger.
Marie Sylla-Dixon was named senior vice president of government and external relations for Albertsons Cos. last March. In this role, she is responsible for leading and advancing Albertsons Cos.
Like her colleague Christina Hennington, Cara Sylvester brought a highly impressive resumé when she joined Target in 2007.
Walgreens’ chief clinical trials officer Ramita Tandon has dedicated her professional life for more than 25 years to transforming the drug development life cycle through innovative applications and unconventional business models. “Early in my career, I developed my passion and purpose,” Tandon says.
In 2022, Donna Tweeten was promoted to president of Hy-Vee Inc., becoming the first woman to hold that position at the 94-year-old company. Tweeten has steadily ascended the executive ladder since she came to the company’s corporate office in 2006 as assistant vice president of communications.
Rite Aid chief marketing officer Jeanniey Walden has had a diverse career — from graduating with a teaching degree to entering the world of business and ad agencies to being an entrepreneur, leading B2B and B2C marketing strategies and more.
Annie Walker is a 21-year veteran of Walmart, having joined the retailer in 2002 soon after graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) with a B.S. degree in industrial engineering.
Latriece Watkins assumed the role of chief merchandising officer at Walmart U.S. last May, marking a significant milestone in a career spanning nearly a quarter-century at the renowned retailer.
In retiring as president and chief executive officer of Wegmans Super Markets, in 2017, Danny Wegman expressed confidence in the succession plan that elevated his daughter, Colleen, to the corner office.
H-E-B strives to live up to its Here Everything’s Better motto through initiatives aimed at making life better for residents of the Lone Star State, where most stores are located. Empowering H-E-B’s customers to be proactive about their health and wellness is one such initiative.
As senior vice president of marketing for Hy-Vee, Amy Wittry is focused on increasing brand loyalty for the $13 billion grocery retailer. “My role is to be the voice of the customer — understanding them and how they engage with our brand — and creating greater customer loyalty and trust
