Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. announced it has appointed Ramesh Chikkala to the newly created position of EVP, chief operations officer, effective January 22. This strategic appointment marks a significant milestone as Grocery Outlet continues to scale its business and add additional supply chain and business technology experience to its organization. In this newly created COO position, Chikkala will lead the company’s supply chain and business technology functions, reporting to RJ Sheedy, president and chief executive officer.
“Ramesh is an ideal fit for this new position with his extensive leadership and operating experience in both supply chain and technology,” said Sheedy. “He has deep expertise in end-to-end supply chain transformation and business digitalization. This position represents continued investment in our business operations, which is critical to delivering our value proposition and supporting future revenue and profit growth.”
“I am thrilled to join Grocery Outlet to help scale the business and deliver on the mission of Touching Lives for the Better.” said Chikkala. “I am excited to work with an incredible team and with Grocery Outlet’s independent operators to transform and further optimize our supply chain and business technology infrastructure to support long-term growth.”
Chikkala’s experience in retail and operations organizations includes 14 years at Walmart, Inc., where, as SVP, Global Supply Chain (Omnichannel) and Food Manufacturing, he led its global supply chain and manufacturing operations, and as SVP, Information Technology, he led the company’s global technology organization. From 2001 to 2006, he was vice president/regional vice president of Store Operations for Family Dollar Stores, Inc. He has also worked for Gap, Inc., and Food Lion, LLC, in a mix of store operations, supply chain, and technology roles. Most recently he has been a senior advisor to A.T. Kearney, Inc., in their Operations/Supply Chain/Technology and Consumer Industry & Retail Practice, while also teaching and serving on several company boards, including Hibbett, Inc.