NEW YORK — FreshDirect co-founder Jason Ackerman has been named as the company’s chief executive officer, the online grocery retailer said Monday.
Ackerman’s appointment fills the top role left vacant when Richard Braddock departed in March, when the British retail chain Wm Morrison Supermarkets made a $50 million investment in FreshDirect. Before founding FreshDirect, Ackerman was an investment banker with Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette and Crown Capital Group, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions and corporate financings, primarily for the supermarket and specialty retail space.
“Jason Ackerman is the right person to lead FreshDirect into its next phase of growth. Jason is a proven leader with a combination of financial and operational expertise and a deep understanding of all aspects of the business. He has been a driving force behind FreshDirect’s unique business model and is highly respected within our organization,” Jim Manzi, FreshDirect chairman, said in a statement. “As a senior leader, he has helped develop and deliver on FreshDirect’s growth strategy, most recently with our new investment and partnership with Morrisons. With this appointment, FreshDirect is better positioned for the future than ever before.”
