Alex Holt appointed chief sustainability officer of Ahold Delhaize, effective no later than June 1; Holt succeeds Jan Ernst de Groot, Ahold Delhaize’s chief legal officer and chief sustainability officer, who will retire on May 31

Ahold Delhaize today announced that Alex Holt has been appointed Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) and member of the Executive Committee of Ahold Delhaize, effective no later than 1 June 2024. Alex succeeds Jan Ernst de Groot, Ahold Delhaize’s Chief Legal Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer, who will retire per 31 May 2024.

Alex is currently Chief Sustainability Officer and member of the Executive Committee at Woolworths Group, Australia and New Zealand’s largest retailer, a role she has held since June 2021. Upon joining Woolworths in 2011, Alex held a number of roles across their supermarkets business, leading various commercial teams, before becoming General Manager of Sustainability, Health and Quality in April 2016. Alex joined Woolworths Group in 2011 from Tesco, where she spent seven years in a number of roles in business improvement, merchandising and sourcing.

Commenting on the announcement, Frans Muller, President and CEO of Ahold Delhaize, said: “I am very happy that Alex will join our Executive Committee as our new Chief Sustainability Officer. She brings relevant experience from a food retail, business leadership and sustainability perspective. She is a sharp thinker and inspiring leader with a deep understanding of the challenges and impact that this role brings in a food retail company with ambitions with regard to health, nature, and climate.”

As CSO, next to her broader contributions and accountabilities as a member of the Executive Committee, Alex will drive the vision and strategy on sustainability in line with our Group strategy and accelerate focus and collaboration across the organization and our supply chain. She will build and develop sustainability capabilities and mindsets within our brands and support organizations. Furthermore, she will provide thought leadership, expertise, and support to our executive team and the brands to help them achieve their goals.

Alex, who is British/Australian, will move with her husband from Australia to the Netherlands. She added: “I am very excited to join Ahold Delhaize, a company that wants to contribute positively to the transition to a sustainable food system. I am looking forward to partnering with the executive team, sustainability and business leaders across the company and across the industry to tackle the challenges that we face together, and seize the opportunities that create the biggest impact.”

As announced earlier, Linn Evans will assume Ahold Delhaize’s Chief Legal Officer role per 15 April, 2024.