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Dollar-store-executives.jpeg Dollar General
The executive changes include five senior vice presidents and four vice presidents.

Dollar General lines up new executive team

Deep discounter appoints five SVPs, four VPs to its executive roster

New leadership is in the works for Dollar General — a move that comes on the heels of naming a new president who takes over Sept. 1, and a new chief executive, scheduled to assume office later this year. 

The Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based company also announced John Garratt’s promotion from executive vice president and chief financial officer to president last week. That position becomes effective Sept. 1. Garratt will retain his role as CFO — including oversight of the retailer’s finance, accounting, strategy and procurement functions — and as president will add responsibilities for the company’s strategic initiative in health care and its international expansion to Mexico.

In July, Dollar General named Chief Operating Officer Jeffery Owen as its next CEO, taking over on Nov. 1 when current CEO Todd Vasos plans to retire.

The latest executive changes include five senior vice presidents: 

  • Shweta Bhatia joins Dollar General as SVP of technology engineering. Bhatia will lead the company’s technology product engineering plus technology and data engineering domains. She has more than 20 years of retail, technology and leadership experience in solution delivery and transformational strategic initiatives.
  • Zak Brining is promoted to SVP of corporate store operations. He will continue to oversee store operations workforce management, communication and compliance, and store process improvement while adding store facilities management. He joined Dollar General in 2016.
  • Donny Lau is elevated to SVP and chief strategy officer. He will continue to focus on developing and evolving DG’s strategic vision and initiatives, implementing strategic partnerships and identifying long-term growth catalysts. Lau joined Dollar General in 2017 and most recently served as vice president of investor relations and corporate strategy. 
  • Jim Sullivan is promoted to SVP of store operations with responsibility for more than 8,000 locations across the northern half of the U.S. while continuing to provide training support for field leaders, elevating operations and merchandising acumen across the enterprise. He joined DG in 2003 and has been vice president of two divisions. 
  • And Rich Szellan is promoted to SVP of procurement and margin improvement. He joined Dollar General in 2009 and in 2017 was promoted to vice president of marketing and private brands. In his new role, Szellan will expand his role in driving profitability and procurement, including supplier diversity

The deep-discount dollar giant also named four vice presidents:

  • Dan Connow is promoted to VP of store operations. He joined the company in 2017 and most recently served as senior director of store operations. In his new role, Connow will be responsible for workforce management and labor planning in addition to his current responsibilities over process improvement.
  • Maty Kiser joins Dollar General as VP of end user support and will lead the team providing customer service support, both internally and externally. She brings more than 30 years of experience in technology-related roles across multiple industries.
  • Matt Sikes joins DG as VP and chief compliance officer. He will collaborate with multiple teams to ensure the company continues to incorporate compliance into its operations. Sikes has 20 years of experience, including several years in retail and financial service sectors. 
  • Kevin Walker is promoted to VP of investor relations and will manage DG’s relationships with the investment community, helping communicate earnings, growth benchmarks and long-term strategy. He joined Dollar General in 2010 and most recently was senior director of investor relations in 2019. 
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