UNFI has appointed Sandy Douglas CEO and a member of the board of directors, effective August 9. Douglas will replace Steven Spinner who will be retiring.
“We are pleased to welcome Sandy as our new CEO and member of the UNFI board,” said Denise Clark, chair of the board’s nominating and governance committee and CEO succession planning committee, in a statement. “He has a demonstrated track record leading large-scale transformation and growth through strategic, customer-focused action. His extensive experience, which is directly aligned with UNFI’s focus on growing the core business while investing in innovation, make Sandy well-suited to successfully drive the company through its next chapter of growth.”
Douglas most recently served as CEO of Staples, Inc., leading the North American business-to-business distribution platform’s strategic transformation and guiding the company throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to Staples, Douglas served as president of Coca-Cola North America, overseeing the $10 billion revenue business, encompassing all aspects of its consumer and business-to-business operations. During Douglas’ 30-year tenure at The Coca-Cola Co., he also served as global chief customer officer, and held a variety of leadership positions across sales and marketing.
“I am honored to join UNFI,” said Douglas. “The company’s vision to transform the future of food has never been more important, and the opportunities in front of us are tremendous. Under Steve, UNFI has built a strong foundation for growth, and I look forward to working with UNFI’s exceptional leadership team, the 30,000 hard-working associates across this entire organization and our board to continue delivering innovative growth platforms that help make our customers stronger and our operations more successful.”
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Image: UNFI