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Dunkin’ Brands exec Jack Clare to join UNFI as CIO 2020-03-24 (1)

IT veteran brings experience in restaurant, CPG sectors

Russell Redman

March 24, 2020

2 Min Read
UNFI truck cabs-United Natural Foods Inc.
In his new role, Jack Clare will lead strategy and operations for the information technology team at United Natural Foods Inc.UNFI

United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) has hired Dunkin’ Brands executive Jack Clare as chief information officer.

Plans call for Clare, previously senior vice president and chief information and strategy officer at Dunkin’, to start as CIO at UNFI on March 30.

Jack Claire-UNFI CIOJack Clare, UNFI's new CIO (Photo courtesy of Dunkin' Brands)

In his new role, Clare will lead strategy and operations for the information technology team to help UNFI better serve its more than 30,000 customers in the United States and Canada, the Providence, R.I.-based food and grocery distributor said. He will report to Eric Dorne, UNFI's chief operating officer.

“Jack is a highly-experienced CIO and a tremendous leader with a longstanding history of putting the customer at the forefront of today’s digital transformation,” Dorne said in a statement. “He will play a fundamental role in driving our ‘Build Out the Store’ growth strategy, help us further accelerate our network integration efforts, and lead planning efforts on how to best leverage data and digital solutions to help support our customers in a continually competitive retail environment. We are thrilled to welcome Jack to UNFI.”

Clare joined Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Brands as senior VP and CIO in August 2012 and then in March 2015 added the chief strategy officer title. As chief information and strategy officer, he oversaw all IT resources and helped support franchisees and drive restaurant profitability through use of technology.

Related:Coronavirus triggers unexpected sales surge for UNFI in second quarter

An IT veteran with over 20 years of experience, Clare has held technology and strategic leadership roles at prominent consumer packaged goods and restaurant retailers. Before coming to Dunkin' Brands, he served as VP of IT and CIO for four years at Yum! Restaurants International and spent more than five years at beer, wine and spirits manufacturer Constellation Brands, most recently as its VP of technical services.
Earlier in his career, Clare was a system and flight test engineer with the U.S. Air Force.

UNFI, the nation’s largest publicly traded grocery distributor, serves natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, e-commerce retailers, and foodservice providers across North America.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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