Grocery Industry Icons & Innovators

JJ Fleeman is the incoming CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA, subject to appointment at the Ahold Delhaize Annual General Meeting on April 12, 2023. Most recently, he was President of Peapod Digital Labs, which he led since its inception in 2018. In that role, JJ served as the Chief Digital and Commercial Officer, responsible for the digital and commercial strategy for Ahold Delhaize USA companies. He led the creation of a proprietary e-commerce platform, along with digital and loyalty strategies focused on growing customer relationships. The foundation he built uniquely positions ADUSA brands to have deep, personal relationships with their customers.

A merchant and operator at heart, JJ has served in a diverse array of roles in strategy, retail operations, marketing and merchandising throughout his more than 30 years in grocery retail. He has a proven track record of establishing a clear strategic vision and driving measurable results.

Before leading Peapod Digital Labs, JJ served in a wide range of leadership roles for the companies of Ahold Delhaize USA and its predecessor organizations. Most notably, he served as the Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for forming the overall strategy for the U.S. businesses, as well as has a wide range of experience leading all aspects of retail from merchandising, store operations, digital, loyalty, marketing, business development and store portfolios. He also served as the Global Integration and Program Leader as part of the merger that formed Ahold Delhaize. JJ began his career at Food Lion, Ahold Delhaize USA’s largest brand, and held a wide variety of roles with this organization.

Through JJ’s leadership, he has created organizational effectiveness by bringing teams together and inspiring them to accomplish their vision, while keeping focus on delivering strategies that are rooted in the customer experience. He is a people-first leader who develops excellence among teams and has a strong track record in cultivating, growing and developing strong leaders. He has a passion for sustainability and integrating it with business goals to drive measurable outcomes.

He has represented Delhaize Group as part of the Future Leaders Committee of the Consumer Goods Forum, where he helped develop world-class programs for future leaders and had the unique opportunity to experience retail and manufacturing across the world.

JJ is a native of Pearisburg, Va. He currently resides in Salisbury, N.C., and has two sons.