Ahold Delhaize Selects Jan Ernst de Groot as New Chief Sustainability Officer; Frans Muller Comments
ZAANDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - New Chief alert! Ahold Delhaize is the latest retailer to amplify its sustainability strategies, which will now be guided by a respected new leader. With the appointment of Jan Ernst de Groot as Chief Sustainability Officer, Groot will now oversee and implement strategic goals relating to the company’s environmental sustainability, healthy eating, social impact, ethics, human rights, and governance.
“At Ahold Delhaize, we want to lead the transition to a sustainable food system,” said Groot of his new role. “I look forward to working with Daniella Vega, our Senior Vice President, Health and Sustainability, and other senior leaders across our organization to further define the right ambitious and future-oriented strategy and ensure execution and delivery of our targets, for the betterment of society as a whole.”
Groot is well-known in the Dutch and international sustainability community, as a press release noted, and has a strong track record of leading transformative sustainability programs at companies and supervisory roles at NGOs and civil society organizations.
As he steps into this CSO role, he will retain his other responsibilities as Chief Legal Officer, which he has occupied since 2016.
“For a long time, sustainability has a central position in our organization. It is one of our four key strategic focus areas, and a critical driver of our purpose: Eat well. Save time. Live better. Our activity and performance in this area are attracting increasing interest from customers, (future) associates, investors, and other stakeholders,” commented Frans Muller, Chief Executive Officer. “With the appointment of Jan Ernst, we ensure that the full scope and dimension of sustainability and ESG are holistically represented at the Executive Committee level.”
As outlined in the press release, Ahold Delhaize's sustainability strategy is based on the belief that what's healthy and sustainable should be available and accessible to all, and the company aligns closely with its partners and brands to achieve this goal.
Congrats to Jan Ernst de Groot on this new executive title!
