2014
Retailer of the Year
Playing to Win
“W
It’s really about the trusted relationships our associates have with customers, which personifies the central foundation of our Better Neighbor promise.” —Kathy Russello, EVP, Human Resources, Ahold USA
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e are a group of associates who really like to win,” declares Kathy Russello, Ahold USA’s EVP, human resources, “but it takes teamwork to make it happen,” the required ingredients for which consist in equal parts of “bringing the right people together; having a healthy respect for diferences of opinions, thoughts and perspectives; and a willingness to share.” An accomplished leader for more than 30 years, Russello — who earned distinction as a PG Top Woman in Grocery in 2011 — is a self-described “passionate believer in the retail supermarket business” and a strong advocate for people from all ranks of the company, each of whom is central to Ahold USA’s Better Neighbor promise. Leading the company’s eforts “to ensure we’ve got the right people in the right roles and to empower them with the capabilities to propel growth,” Russello oversees the full scope of Ahold USA’s human resources support functions, with a singular focus: “to foster a culture of people development and growth.” Russello’s supermarket roots run deep. Beginning her career in store operations for Mayfair Supermarkets, she joined Ahold in 1995 as part of the human resources support team for the New York division of both Edwards and Stop & Shop. Troughout her career, she has taken on progressively challenging leadership positions within human resources and labor relations, which has in turn given her a deep understanding of and appreciation for the broad range of career opportunities. Russello is a big believer in investing in associates’ careers by ofering growth opportunities, training and development programs that bring out their best. “We’ve got a family of companies that have been around for a very long time, and I’m really proud of that,” she says, noting that the retail banners’ longevity ultimately refects on its stellar associates. “We’ve got a number of people who have worked for each of our diferent
| Progressive Grocer | Ahead of What’s Next | October 2014
Stop & Shop associates enjoy competitive benefits and celebrate being part of a 100-year legacy in the northeastern United States.
companies for many, many years. Tey followed in the footsteps of other generations who’ve worked for the company, so our heritage is truly about our associates, who take such good care of customers. We have centuries of experience, and our people are driving us forward.” Another interesting aspect of Ahold USA’s heritage, Russello adds, is its loyal customers. “I knew many of our customers on a frst-name basis, and I know the same is true for so many associates. We often like to think it’s about great products, prices and services,” she continues, and these are undoubtedly important. “But it’s really about the trusted relationships store associates have with customers.” When talking about the grocery industry as a place to build a career, Russello applauds the many diverse and rewarding paths it ofers to existing employees seeking advancement, as well as to prospective job candidates. Ahold USA’s divisions, she reports, “have done a great deal to do promote the industry as an employer of choice,” particularly in the past fve years, during which time Russello has seen a surge of interested applicants from outside the food industry. She notes, “Our employer brand is changing, and people are coming in from other industries,” in many cases via word-of-mouth referrals from friends and co-workers. “People are seeing the real opportunities, for a few good reasons, including that we are competitive, with very good salaries and great benefts; we reward and recognize great performance.” Equally important, she continues, is that aside from retail management, a career at an Ahold USA company provides people with the chance to grow in careers across a multitude of areas, includ-