Albertsons Companies announced that Sharon McCollam will join the company on September 7, 2021, as its President and Chief Financial Officer reporting to Vivek Sankaran, Albertsons Chief Executive Officer.
According to Albertsons, McCollam will succeed Bob Dimond, who will be retiring and will remain with the company as an advisor through February 2022 to ensure a seamless transition.
McCollam, 59, retired from Best Buy in 2016 where she served as Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative and Chief Financial Officer.
She is broadly recognized as the co-pilot of Best Buy’s Renew Blue transformation, which has been regarded as one of the foremost omnichannel transformations in the retail sector.
“I am thrilled to have Sharon join the Albertsons team,” said Vivek Sankaran, Chief Executive Officer. “We are entering the next phase of our transformation, centered on building deeper relationships with customers through data, technology, and connected omnichannel solutions. Sharon has done just this throughout her career, helping to engineer multiple retail transformations, including the spectacular turnaround of Best Buy and the digital transformation at Williams-Sonoma.”
Sankaran stressed that McCollam is well-known for her expertise in retail operations and digital growth strategies as well as her passion for building customer-centric cultures.
Prior to Best Buy, McCollam held several transformational leadership positions at Williams-Sonoma, Inc. from 2000 to 2012, including Chief Operating and Chief Financial Officer from 2006 to 2012. Since retiring from Best Buy, McCollam has served as a member of several corporate boards, including companies with a strong consumer, e-commerce, and healthcare presence.
Albertsons said in a statement that, as President and Chief Financial Officer of the grocery chain, McCollam will assume several leadership responsibilities, including finance, corporate strategy, information technology, supply chain operations, and property development, and will be involved in all aspects of the Company’s growth and transformation strategy.
In addition to her proven financial leadership, Albertsons said, McCollam brings broad retail and omnichannel operational expertise that will help accelerate the achievement of the Company’s goals.
“I am thrilled to be joining Vivek and the Albertsons leadership team during this exciting time in the Company’s history. Albertsons Cos. is a family of iconic brands that empower and values its people, obsesses over exceeding the expectations of its customers, communities, and associates, and operates at the highest levels of humility and integrity in everything it does,” said McCollam.
Albertsons’ new President added that “it is a privilege to be joining this incredibly high-performing team and to be stepping back into such an exceptional opportunity that will allow me to leverage my broad multi-brand, multi-channel, and transformation experience as well as participate in one of the most exciting customer-centric digital transformations in integrated grocery and pharmacy today.”
Regarding Bob Dimon’s retirement, Sankaran expressed his gratitude for his contributions to Albertsons Cos. over the past seven years. “He has established a strong foundation for our finance team and was extremely instrumental in our IPO. Bob helped us deliver consistent financial results, improve our balance sheet, and elevate the level of investment in our business. We wish him the very best in his retirement.”