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Natalia Wallenberg joins Ahold Delhaize as chief human resources officer

HR veteran fills vacancy left by departure of Abbe Luersman in April

Russell Redman

September 30, 2021

2 Min Read
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Natalia Wallenberg's hiring as global HR chief comes after a nine-month search by Ahold Delhaize.Ahold Delhaize

After a nine-month search, global food retailer Ahold Delhaize has hired Natalia Wallenberg as chief human resources officer.

Wallenberg comes to Ahold Delhaize from international agricultural technology company Syngenta Group, where she served as global HR head for the crop protection business, Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize said Thursday. She takes over from former chief HR officer Abbe Luersman, who left the company on April 30 to return to the United States after 13 years in Europe.  

“I am thrilled to join Ahold Delhaize, with its focus on health and sustainability, inclusivity and value for customers,” Wallenberg said in a statement. “It is energizing to be part of a company with a growth-oriented culture and local brands that positively impact more than 50 million shoppers every week. Additionally, the values of the organization — especially care, courage and teamwork — are ones that I share and am proud to promote. I look forward to helping [CEO] Frans [Muller] and the company continue its transformation while cultivating its great diverse talent and purpose-driven culture.”

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A veteran HR executive, Wallenberg (left) spent nearly nine years at Syngenta, a global agri-tech business with more than 49,000 associates in 90 geographic markets and annual sales of $23 billion. Before her most recent role as global HR chief for the crop protection division in Basel, Switzerland, she served for three years as global head of HR for the Syngenta Seed Division, based in Minneapolis and Chicago. Wallenberg joined Syngenta in September 2013 from Renaissance Capital in Moscow, where she was global HR head for the front office. Prior to that, she spent over two years as HR team leader for Ikea Real Estate in Moscow.

Related:Ahold Delhaize taps Dave Bass to oversee FreshDirect

“I am excited to have Natalia join my executive committee as global CHRO,” Ahold Delhaize CEO Frans Muller stated. “She brings a broad international perspective, having lived and worked in both Europe and the United States, and a wealth of experience shaping and implementing effective business and HR strategies, leadership and culture development, organization transformation, and talent management.”

Ahold Delhaize had announced in January that Luersman planned to depart the company. She served as chief HR officer for almost five years and held the same role at Royal Ahold from November 2013 to July 2016, leading up to the company’s merger with Delhaize Group.

Overall, Ahold Delhaize has approximately 410,000 employees and operates 7,263 stores in the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Central and Southeastern Europe. Its Ahold Delhaize USA business includes 2,044 stores under the Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, Food Lion and Hannaford banners as well as online grocer FreshDirect and e-commerce provider Peapod Digital Labs.

Related:Ahold Delhaize USA's Retail Business Services hires Rom Kosla as CIO

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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