Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009 - (Page 26)

2009 Top Women in Grocery Jennifer MacLeod, SVP, Marketing & Communications, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P) IF IMITATION is the best form of flattery, Jennifer MacLeod must be feeling good about herself. Her circular and promotional marketing programs are routinely emulated by A&P’s competitors, and its price image campaign has increased sales and customer counts, exceeding budget plans.Away from the office, she is a member of the board for the TRU Foundation, and volunteers at the YMCA in New Jersey and the Hackensack Hospital Oncology Center. Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, SVP, Global Human Resources, Kellogg Co. KATHLEEN WILSON-THOMPSON is SVP, global human resources, reporting to president and CEO David Mackay, in which capacity she leads the global human resources organization. She is also a member of the company’s global leadership team and the Compensation Committee of the company’s board of directors.WilsonThompson is being recognized for developing an enhanced Global Human Resources strategy, adopting the company’s “people brand,” championing the work of diversity and inclusion, and spearheading a project to redesign the systems that manage Kellogg’s people needs.As head of Kellogg’s global human resources organization, she is responsible for overseeing compensation and benefits programs for approximately 32,000 employees worldwide.Wilson-Thompson and her team drive critical processes and initiatives to ensure talent management for the entire company, as well as a strong and vibrant sales force to support customer needs. She formerly practiced law in the Kellogg’s legal department as VP for labor and employment and U.S. businesses. She serves on the board of trustees for the NAACP Special Contributions Fund and as counsel to Washington Heights Ministry, Saginaw County Substance Abuse Commission, Child and Family Services, Charitable Union, and United Way Days of Caring, and is a former board member of SafePlace and YMCA. print and online media, garnering nearly 2 billion impressions for Kroger, in addition to immeasurable good will and sales support via community and media outreach.The company acknowledges Glynn’s invaluable service by noting that her work “touches and supports every area of our business in every region of the country.” In addition to acting as a mentor and adviser to aspiring journalists, Glynn is a trained literacy coach who tutors young readers weekly. Kathy Kelly, President, Personal Finance,The Kroger Co. THE LEADER of Kroger Personal Finance (KPF), the grocer’s consumer financial services business, since its inception in 2004, Kathy Kelly has shepherded the development of a full range of financial products and services, including the 12-3 REWARDS MasterCard, gift and prepaid cards,ATMs, insurance and lending products, mortgage and home equity loans, and identity theft protection. Unique to the grocery industry, KPF, a joint venture with RBS, has grown under Kelly’s guidance to a key business initiative within both of its parent companies, issuing to date over $50 million in rewards.The mother of three daughters, Kelly is a volunteer with the Catholic Inner-City Education Fund. Rebecca Philbert, SVP, Merchandising and Logistics, The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. (A&P) REBECCA PHILBERT led the rollout of over 20,000 SKUs of private label products, including GreenWay,Via Roma, Hartford Reserve, Market Spa, Live Better,America’s Choice,AC Kids,AC Baby and AC Gold Quality. Her primary areas of responsibility include merchandising, logistics and charitable activities. Her budget is in the millions, and the work she generates is in the billions. Philbert’s many accolades include being named a Top Women in Grocery by Progressive Grocer in 2007 and 2008. Laurie King, Zone Manager,The Kroger Co. — Atlanta Division Donna Folberth, Director, Regional Logistics,The Kroger Co. Pamela G. Bailey, President and CEO, Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) PAMELA G. BAILEY is the president and CEO of GMA, and reports to the GMA board of directors. Her accomplishments to date are impressive and include strengthening retailer-manufacturer collaboration, 89 percent retention dues revenue collected in Q1 2009, recruiting 16 new members, and strengthening GMA’s leadership position on food safety. She is responsible for all aspects of the association’s success — from strategic planning to operations and finance, to membership recruitment and retention, to the advocacy, scientific and industry affairs practices of the organization. In addition, Bailey has final responsibility for allocating and managing 100 percent of the GMA budget.At the Personal Care Products Council and now as head of GMA, Bailey has made her mark on the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry with innovative strategies and a consumer-focused agenda. Bailey is the leading spokesperson, lobbyist and champion of innovation for global CPG makers.Whatever her audience, she wields the full influence of the $2.1 trillion food, beverage and CPG industry. ON AVERAGE, a truck departs from each of Kroger’s five Midwestern distribution centers every eight minutes to service a Kroger store, and Donna Folberth makes sure it gets there in a timely fashion. Her 1,000-member team worked hard to achieve over 95 percent on-time deliveries with one of the company’s largest multitemperature trailer fleets. One of the associates named to Kroger’s first companywide Cultural Council, Folberth is busy away from the job as well, working as director and secretary of Gahanna, Ohio-based Kemba Financial Credit Union, and making quilts for hospitalized and homeless children through the Project Linus initiative. SUPERVISOR of the largest zone in Kroger’s Atlanta Marketing Division, Laurie King has racked up a string of No. 1 rankings for her territory over the past couple of years: tops in identicalstore sales minus fuel, profit increase dollars and percent vs. the past year, and the Customer Shopping Experience Progress Report, as well as the highest increase in Associate Tracker results (how employees feel about the company and their jobs). She also directs the division’s Key Retailing district store, which tests all new companywide initiatives focused on improving store operations and the customer shopping experience.The recipient of an I am the Key outstanding-leadership award from store managers in her zone, King mentors several women in the division and is co-chair of the 4-H Cabin campaign. Phyllis Norris, Meghan Glynn, Director, Corporate Communications,The Kroger Co. IMAGE MAY not be everything, but savvy grocers know that it counts for a lot. Kroger’s media relations and executive communications are the preserve of Meghan Glynn, who this past year led the team that earned nearly $10 billion in national and regional television, President of City Market, The Kroger Co. — City Market Division CITY MARKET enjoyed a record-breaking year in total sales in 2008 — and Phyllis Norris’ leadership was the main reason. Guided by her keen sense of market potential, the division has made successful location decisions, and Norris makes it a point to meet with 26 • Progressive Grocer • June/July 2009 A H E A D O F W H AT ’ S N E X T www.progressivegrocer.com http://www.progressivegrocer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009

Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009
Table of Contents
Nielsen’s Shelf Stoppers/ Spotlight: Cheese/Shredded Cheese
Market Snapshot: Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Calif.
Independents Report: The Advantages of Older Associates
Lempert Report: Food Experts Tackle the Economy
Industry Achievement: The Top 100 Women in Grocery
Multicultural Marketing: 2050 is Today
Retailer of the Year: Celebrating Kroger
2009 Deli/Bakery Operations Review: Shrink-Wrapped
Fresh Developments: Consumer Shifts Create New Complexities for Fresh Food Trading Partners
Produce: Brimming With Possibilities
Meat: Fired Up!
Store of the Month: Giant Eagle’s Express-Ohhh!
Cheese: Cooked Cheese and Other Spiritual Revelations
Beverage Alcohol: A Cup of Cheer
Frozen Foods: Frozen Vegetable Sales are Steaming
Real Estate: Bigger is not Always Better
Technology: At Your Service
Equipment Innovations
What’s Next: Editors’ Picks for Innovative Products

Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009