Giant Food welcomes grocery industry veteran to leadership division

A new face is joining Giant Food’s leadership team.

The Landover, Md.-based company appointed Irfan Badibanga as its senior vice president of operations, beginning Nov. 1.

In this role, Badibanga will be responsible for leading all operational aspects at the retailer, including regional operations, store support, strategic store planning, and execution and asset protection, as well as team, people and culture development, the company said.

“Irfan has been a successful entrepreneurial leader, driving enormous growth at some of the largest retail organizations in this country,” Ira Kress, president of Giant, said. “We are confident that his deep management and operations expertise at both the regional and national level will bring tremendous value to our organization at a time when we are implementing a transformational brand strategy and evolving our culture.”

Most recently, Badibanga served as senior vice president of operations at Family Dollar Stores. He also has held several leadership roles at such companies as Walmart, Winn Dixie, H-E-B and Price Chopper Supermarkets.

“I am thrilled to be joining Giant Food, which has over 84 years of experience serving the community, and am looking forward to the opportunity to work with Giant associates who are passionate about serving their customers and helping their community,” Badibanga said. “Consumer preferences are shifting, and at Giant, product excellence, convenience and value are key. I believe my work experience has prepared me well, and I am excited to join the Giant team as we continue to implement brand and operational strategies to serve our customers best.”