July was a big month for retail and CPG CEO moves, as makers of sweets, sneakers, spirits, and skin care were among those on the move. Here are the C-suite switch-ups to know:
- Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner is heading to Hershey to serve as its new CEO, effective August 18, following the retirement of Michele Buck announced earlier this year.
- Amid a legal battle with Ben & Jerry’s independent board over the ousting of CEO David Stever, Unilever named exec Jochanan Senf as the ice cream maker’s new CEO.
- P&G promoted its COO Shailesh Jejurikar, a 36-year vet of the CPG giant, to CEO. He replaces four-year CEO Jon Moeller, who’ll become the company’s executive chair.
- LVMH tapped Michael Burke, chair and CEO of LVMH Fashion Group, as chair and CEO of LVMH Americas.
- Guinness owner Diageo announced its CEO Debra Crew is exiting her role by “mutual agreement” after two years. Diageo’s CFO Nik Jhangiani will fill the role in the interim, and the spirits giant re-hired its former CFO Deirdre Mahlan to serve as interim CFO.
- L.L. Bean’s president and CEO of 10 years, Stephen Smith, will leave his role in spring 2026.
- Converse President and CEO Jared Carver is stepping down from his role, with Aaron Cain, VP and GM of Nike Global Men’s, relocating to Boston to take over.
- Gap’s Athleta hired 20-year Nike vet Maggie Gauger as its next CEO, its third chief exec in the past two years, replacing Chris Blakeslee.
- Depop CEO Peter Semple will lead the company on a permanent basis, after assuming the interim role in May, when Kruti Patel Goyal left to become president and chief growth officer for its owner Etsy.
- The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) named Frank Gleeson, former head of food distributor Aramark Northern Europe, as its president and CEO, starting January 1.
And now, for a few non-CEO moves…
- Aldi promoted 20-year Aldi exec Karla Waddleton to become US COO, filling the role vacated by Atty McGrath, who is set to become CEO of Aldi US on September 1.
- Kohl’s tapped Arianne Parisi, former chief digital officer of JD Sports Fashion, as its CDO.
- Ahold Delhaize brought on Mercedes-Benz and Adidas vet Jan Brecht as its CTO starting September 26.
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