Hy-Vee makes leadership changes
Hy-Vee announced several leadership changes and promotions at its stockholder's meeting.
Current CEO Jeremy Gosch was named vice chairman of Hy-Vee’s board of directors. Gosch started his career with the company in 1996 as a part-time clerk at the Coralville, Iowa, store and was named store director at Eldora, Iowa, in 2002.
He held store leadership positions in several communities before joining Hy-Vee’s executive leadership team in 2012 as assistant vice president of operations, for Hy-Vee’s northeast region. He was promoted through various executive leadership roles in merchandising, marketing, strategy and operations before being named president and chief operating officer in December 2021. Since then, he has fulfilled several executive leadership roles in preparation for this promotion.
Also at the stockholders meeting, longtime Hy-Vee executive Donna Tweeten was named president, Hy-Vee, and will oversee the retailer's private brands, merchandising, marketing and digital initiatives. She also will oversee the operations of Hy-Vee’s new retail media network Red Media. Tweeten’s promotion marks the first time a woman has been named president of Hy-Vee, the company noted.
[Read more: Hy-Vee to debut reimagined store]
Tweeten’s career with Hy-Vee began in 2006 as assistant vice president of communications. She was promoted to assistant vice president of marketing in 2009, and in 2011, she was selected as vice president of brand image. Tweeten was promoted to vice president of marketing/communications in 2013, and in 2014 she was named senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
In early 2016, she was promoted to executive vice president and elected to Hy-Vee’s board of directors, and later that year she became executive vice president, chief marketing officer/chief customer officer. In 2017, Donna began overseeing the brand experience for Hy-Vee, and in 2020, she was also named chief of staff.
Additionally, Hy-Vee executive Aaron Wiese was named president of Hy-Vee, and will now be responsible for the operations of all the company’s healthcare and retail pharmacy locations, as well as itss newest subsidiary Hy-Vee Healthcare. Wiese also will oversee new technology initiatives for the company and continue his leadership of overseeing several company subsidiaries, along with Hy-Vee’s supply chain and distribution operations across its region.
Wiese’s Hy-Vee career began in 1993 as a high school student. After graduation, he managed Hy-Vee Care before becoming director, of health/wellness strategic planning in 2013. He held various positions of increasing responsibility in Hy-Vee’s health and wellness operations as well as at Hy-Vee subsidiary Amber Specialty Pharmacy. In 2019, he was promoted to vice president, Hy-Vee; president, Amber Specialty Pharmacy, and then senior vice president, Hy-Vee.; president, Amber Specialty Pharmacy. Wiese was promoted several times in 2020 and became president of digital growth and co-chief operating officer in April 2021. In December of that year, he was named president, subsidiaries/supply chain. In 2022, he was named president, Hy-Vee Healthcare.
At the stockholder's meeting, two key executive company leaders were announced to take on additional responsibilities as Hy-Vee continues to evolve.
Longtime Hy-Vee executive Kevin Sherlock will serve as a chief operating officer, spearheading Hy-Vee’s retail grocery operations. Sherlock’s Hy-Vee career began in 1986 as a part-time courtesy clerk at the North Dodge Street Hy-Vee in Iowa City. After working in several markets, he was named assistant director at the Agency Street Hy-Vee in Burlington, Iowa. He was given his first store director assignment in 1999 in Canton, Ill. He then went on to lead stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City before being named assistant vice president of operations, for Hy-Vee’s western district in 2014.
The next year, he was promoted to vice president of business development. He was promoted again in 2016 to senior vice president of merchandising/business development, and in 2017 he was promoted to executive vice president of the southeast region. In 2018, he was named executive vice president of merchandising/advertising, before moving to PDI in early 2019 as executive vice president, PDI, commissaries. Later that year, Sherlock transitioned back into operations as executive vice president of the east region. In 2020, he added non-foods to his responsibilities and, later that year, he was named executive vice president and chief retail officer. In June 2022, he was named executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, before officially being named chief operating officer earlier this year.
[Read more: Hy-Vee set to host quarterly Best of Local Brands summit]
Georgia Van Gundy was promoted to chief of staff, in addition to executive vice president and chief customer officer. Van Gundy will also serve as the chief administrative officer for the company, which includes oversight of human resources, government relations, community relations, communications, customer care, DEI initiatives, risk management, training and education and food safety.
Van Gundy joined the Hy-Vee leadership team in 2019 as senior vice president of administration, industry and government relations. She was promoted to senior vice president, chief administrative officer in June 2020. Van Gundy was promoted to executive vice president, chief customer/talent officer in September 2020, and shortly after named executive vice president, chief administrative officer, chief customer officer.
Prior to Hy-Vee, she served as executive director of the Iowa Business Council, an organization made up of CEOs and top executives from the 23 largest employers in Iowa. Prior to her role at the IBC, she led global strategies for a Fortune 250 company and worked in the retail industry in various capacities for nearly 10 years. Van Gundy also has experience in government relations, finance and economic development.