People on the move … Jan. 27
Drug Store News has rounded up all the retail pharmacy comings and goings to help keep you informed. Here are this week’s announcements.
Jada D. Reese named chief people officer at Schnuck Markets
Schnuck Markets has named Jada D. Reese as its new chief people officer. Reese will begin her new role on Jan. 30 and will bring to Schnucks 26 years of professional experience, including human resources leadership roles at BJC Healthcare, Express Scripts and Anheuser-Busch.
“As we live our mission to nourish people’s lives, we know it begins with our most important resource — our nearly 12,000 teammates,” said Schnucks Chairman and CEO Todd Schnuck. “Jada’s broad industry leadership experience in human resources, along with her values-based approach to empowering teams, will help us to position our teammates for success in everything we do to serve our customers.”
At Schnucks, Reese will lead the human resources team, overseeing department functions including teammate recruitment, retention, labor relations, training and development, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and culture and values integration. She also will become a member of the company’s strategy team, the 10-member team of executives tasked with leading the overall direction and execution of the company.
During Reese’s career, she led human resources initiatives at major St. Louis companies, “including ideating and implementing diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, overseeing mergers and acquisitions integrations, developing employee recruitment and retention programs, leveraging thought leadership activities, as well as instituting change management programs,” the company said.
Reese is a native of Normandy, Mo., and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Missouri S&T and a Master of Business Administration from Washington University.
Ingenza welcomes Ian Shott as its new executive chairman
Edinburgh-based Ingenza, a company specializing in engineering biology, has announced the appointment of Dr. Ian Shott, CBE, FREng to the board as executive chairman.
Ian brings more than 35 years of experience in the global life science and biotechnology industries and is executive chairman of Shott Trinova, a specialist advisory and investment firm focused on helping a portfolio of life science businesses accelerate their growth and performance.
“Ingenza has an excellent history of technology invention, innovation and development for both small and large companies,” Trinova said. “It has collaborated with universities and industry groups to continuously update, renew and expand its technology platforms, and the company is now ideally positioned to move into a high growth phase. I have interacted with Ingenza on successful projects over the last two decades and am hugely excited to now join the company board to help drive this next phase of unbridled progress, with a particular focus on satisfying customers with unmet needs while simultaneously providing strong societal benefits.”
“I have had the pleasure of knowing and working closely with Ian Shott for over 20 years in numerous areas of biotechnology innovation, including its successful application within his businesses, collaborative programs with leading academic teams, and within industry steering groups. Ian’s unique insight in maximizing business growth through the strategic application of technology brings an enormous asset to Ingenza as we look forward to fully realizing the benefits of engineering biology for human health and our planet’s future,” said Ian Fotheringham, CEO at Ingenza.
Nicholas Bertram, former president of The Giant Co., joins Divert advisory board
Divert, a technology company on a mission to Protect the Value of Food, recently announced the appointment of Nicholas Bertram as the founding member of its advisory board. Bertram brings more than 20 years of experience in the retail industry, most recently as the president of The Giant Co., a subsidiary of Royal Ahold Delhaize N.V.
“Nick is widely respected for his vision and leadership in the retail industry, and has been at the forefront of sustainable retailing,” said Ryan Begin, CEO and co-founder of Divert. “His vast knowledge of retail operations and the food supply chain will be invaluable to Divert as we enter this next phase of growth. We are thrilled to welcome Nick as the founding member of our advisory board and are actively working to bring on additional advisors that mirror our shared commitment to building a healthier, more sustainable future.”
During his most recent five years leading The Giant Co., Bertram drove historic omnichannel growth in expanded markets and championed the company’s transformation toward zero-waste by connecting it to the shared purpose of its 37,000 teammates, the company said.
“Working at every level of retail, from part-time stocker to leading a company, has given me a holistic view of the industry and just how pervasive the wasted food problem is - not only for retailers, but for our larger world,” said Bertram. “Over the last near-decade of my career, Divert was an incredible partner, and I saw firsthand the real impact their solutions had on our business and the broader industry. It is an honor to serve as an advisor as the company accelerates its mission to protect the value of food.”
Prior to The Giant Co., Bertram held a variety of other senior leadership positions while at Ahold Delhaize spanning commercial integration, merchandising, and store strategy and sales development. Bertram also previously led retail operations for Chicago’s Jewel-Osco, now part of Albertsons, which followed his nearly 12 years at Walmart.
The new advisory board will serve as a guidepost as Divert continues its rapid expansion across the U.S., and its members will focus on corporate strategy, product development, marketing activities, research and evaluation of results, among other responsibilities.
Nirvana Water Sciences adds key nutrition sales executive
Nirvana Water Sciences has announced the addition of Candice St. Pierre, PhD, as vice president of nutrition sales.
St. Pierre brings senior-level sales experience from leadership roles at Twinlab Consolidated Holdings, Skinnygirl, Performix and Atkins Nutritionals, and will lead Nirvana's expansion into nutrition and wellness retail outlets.
"I'm excited to join the Nirvana team and work alongside like-minded individuals" St. Pierre said. "I'm passionate about living a healthy, active lifestyle and helping others to do the same. Nirvana marries science and products to achieve better results than diet and exercise alone."
"Candice will be an immense asset and contribution to our leadership team, and I have no doubt her extensive experience and proven success will help drive Nirvana's growth," David Vanderveen, Nirvana's CEO, said.