Karl-Heinz Holland, the former chief executive of Lidl, has been appointed CEO of Spanish retailer DIA, following a restructuring of the group's board of directors.
Elsewhere, the former head of Russia's X5 Retail Group, Stephan DuCharme, has been named as chairman of the board of directors at the retailer.
Christian Couvreux, Stephan DuCharme and Jaime García-Legaz Ponce have been named members of DIA's appointments and remunerations committee, while Sergio Antonio Ferreira Dias and José Wahnon Levy have been appointed members of its audit and compliance committee.
The moves follow the takeover of DIA by Russian tycoon Mikhail Fridman's LetterOne, which saw the business secure funding in order to enable it to continue to trade.
'Relentless' Work
“I want to personally thank each and every person, especially our employees and franchise partners, who have worked relentlessly over months and with very little certainty to ensure that the DIA Group has a future," Holland commented.
"Without them and their professionalism we would not be in a position to progress today," he added. "I believe in this company and I am committed to take on the tasks ahead of us, which are significant. I ask for the support and trust of employees, franchisees, suppliers and customers to build a prosperous and successful future for the Group.”
Holland spent 23 years with Lidl in various purchasing, marketing and international logistics roles, before being appointed chief executive of the business in 2008.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
