Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize announced an executive-level transition that will see Ben Wishart, its chief technology officer, step down as Jan Brecht replaces him in the CTO role.
The supermarket owner and retail group plans to make Brecht’s appointment effective as of Sept. 26, at which point he will also join its executive committee. He will officially join the group as of Sept. 1.
Ahold Delhaize is No. 3 in the Europe Database. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of the largest online retailers in the region.
Ahold Delhaize web sales by year
Who is Ahold Delhaize’s new CTO?
Brecht arrives at Ahold Delhaize after serving as chief digital information officer at Nissan Motor. Previously, he also held the position of chief information officer at Mercedes-Benz Group, in addition to the chief information officer and head of global supply chain role at Adidas Group.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jan, whose international experience and visionary leadership, coupled with deep tech expertise and passion for consumers and data, will be invaluable as we continue to evolve our technology landscape to better serve our customers and brands,” said Frans Muller, CEO at Ahold Delhaize. “His experience positions him well to support our Growing Together strategy’s direction of advancing cost efficiency, simplicity, resilience, and IT security.”
Ben Wishart’s departure
Wishart’s decision to leave Ahold Delhaize after 12 years in the CTO role bookends a period of significant accomplishments that the company noted in its announcement. After becoming CTO in 2013, Wishart joined the executive committee in 2018. Among his contributions, Ahold Delhaize noted that he had been “instrumental in shaping” its technology strategy. That included developing its core retail and digital platforms, in addition to scaling its sourcing and solution delivery across the group.
“Ben has been a driving force behind our digital transformation and a trusted leader in our Executive Committee,” Muller stated. “We are grateful for the many contributions Ben has made as CTO and as a leader across the company.”
In a post to LinkedIn, Wishart thanked his colleagues as he reflected on his time at Ahold Delhaize and detailed his upcoming plans.
“In October, I’ll be taking a bit of downtime before turning my focus toward building out my portfolio career,” he said. “I’ve greatly valued my non-executive experience with the Board at PayPoint plc, where I chair the Remuneration and Tech & Cyber Committees — and I’m looking forward to expanding that journey.”
In the meantime, Wishart plans to be actively involved with the changeover as Brecht begins work in September.
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