PCC Community Markets (PCC), the Seattle-based community-owned food market, announced Friday that Krishnan (“Krish”) Srinivasan has become the new president and CEO of the 15-store chain. His appointment fills the vacancy left by Suzy Monford, who departed the company in August 2021.
Srinivasan has been a member of PCC’s leadership team as its chief financial officer for nearly four years, during which time he has furthered the co-op’s work aligned with its vision, mission and values, navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and supported the co-op’s growth with four new locations that provide jobs in the community and a platform for the small to midsize local producers the co-op supports.
“PCC has been a special place for my family and I ever since we became co-op members more than two decades ago,” said Srinivasan. “For us, PCC is an important pillar of the local community — an institution that goes well beyond the food we serve at our table. It has been a rare privilege to serve the co-op as its CFO, and I am honored by the board’s decision to entrust the future direction of PCC in my care as CEO. While I am already deeply familiar with our triple bottom-line approach to the business and community, I look forward to collaborating with our amazing staff, co-op members, shoppers and neighbors to develop a strategic plan for PCC’s long-term future.”
Srinivasan (left) brings over 25 years of leadership experience with a strong track record of delivering results in building and scaling operating processes, leading financial planning and driving business strategy. He has been a board member of the National Co+op Grocers for the past two years, helping bring more value to natural food co-ops and their customers across the U.S.
Prior to his work at PCC, Srinivasan was CFO at Remitly and the VP of finance at Lyft, building finance teams and scalable operating processes at both companies. Earlier in his career, he held leadership positions at Amazon and Microsoft, where his work focused on a range of strategic endeavors including managing investor relations, developing external partnerships and overseeing country-level finance operations in Japan and India.
This announcement follows an extensive five-month search led by PCC’s Board of Trustees with support from co-op leadership and consultancy firm Korn Ferry.
“Our search was focused on finding the right candidate who was committed to leading the co-op in alignment with its vision to inspire and advance the health and well-being of people, their communities and our planet,” said Paul Davis, chair of the PCC Board of Trustees. “Krish was the clear choice with his proven commitment to living the co-op values and his strong track record of helping businesses grow and thrive.”
Srinivasan is the seventh CEO in the co-op’s nearly 70-year history. Monford, his predecessor, served less than a year in the role, joining PCC in December 2020 and leaving last August.
A certified organic retailer, PCC Community Markets operates 15 stores in Washington’s Puget Sound area, with a focus on natural, sustainable and better-for-you products and foodservice. The company describes itself as the nation’s largest community-owned food market and said it plans to open new stores in downtown Seattle and Madison Valley.
