Food Lion owner Ahold Delhaize’s CFO to step down

Dive Brief:

Ahold Delhaize CFO Natalie Knight will leave the company this summer to pursue a job in the U.S., according to a Tuesday morning announcement.
The grocery company said it has begun a search for a successor to the CFO role.
Knight joined Ahold Delhaize in early 2020 and helped the company navigate the global pandemic as well as last year’s record inflation.

Dive Insight:

Knight presided over Ahold Delhaize’s financial operations during a strong sales period fueled by pandemic fears and rising prices. Her time with the Netherlands-based grocery conglomerate has been fairly brief — a fact that President and CEO Frans Muller acknowledged in Tuesday’s brief announcement.

“Although her time at Ahold Delhaize has been short, I respect Natalie’s decision to move her family back to the United States after more than 25 years in Europe,” Muller said in a statement.

Tuesday’s announcement noted the beginning of a six-month notification period after which Knight will depart.

Natalie Knight, Ahold Delhaize's CFO — Courtesy of Ahold Delhaize

Before joining the company, Knight spent just over four years as CFO of Danish dairy supplier Arla Foods. Before that, she spent 17 years in various financial roles at Adidas, leading the company’s acquisition of Reebok.

“It has been an honor to serve this great company and its associates during a time when the COVID-19 pandemic showed us the importance of grocery retail in the communities we serve,” Knight said in a statement. “I am proud that throughout it all, we’ve been able to deliver not only strong financial results but also ensure financial stability of the company, advance e-commerce profitability and increase our future-focused investments such as sustainability. I look forward to continue working with Frans and the team to ensure a smooth transition and to help identify my successor.”

Knight’s departure comes less than two months after Ahold Delhaize USA CEO Kevin Holt announced he plans to leave the company after his term ends in April. The grocer plans to nominate JJ Fleeman, who currently serves as chief commercial and digital officer of Ahold Delhaize USA and president of Peapod Digital Labs, to the CEO post at the company’s annual shareholder meeting that same month.

Last fall, Ahold Delhaize announced that it plans to reappoint Muller to the role of president and CEO at the April shareholders meeting.