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RBS, Peapod presidents join CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion

Ahold Delhaize USA units commit to promote D&I in the workplace

Russell Redman

February 8, 2021

3 Min Read
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Retail Business Services' Roger Wheeler and Peapod Digital Labs' JJ Fleeman have committed to cultivating workplaces that foster open dialogue and support programs and policies on diversity and inclusion.Ahold Delhaize USA/RBS/Peapod

The heads of Ahold Delhaize USA’s Retail Business Services (RBS) and Peapod Digital Labs subsidiaries have joined CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, a coalition of more than 1,500 CEOs and other top business executives that aims to advance diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace.

With the move, Roger Wheeler, president of Quincy, Mass.-based RBS, and JJ Fleeman, president of Chicago-based Peapod Digital Labs, have committed to cultivating workplaces that support open dialogue on diversity and inclusion, furthering education on unconscious bias, sharing best practices on D&I strategies, and creating and sharing D&I plans with their company’s board of directors.

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“At Retail Business Services, we hold ourselves accountable for fostering an environment where all associates feel welcome and know they work for a company where they belong,” Wheeler (left) said in a statement. “In joining the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, we are continuing to care for and support our associates by taking one more step in the right direction. I am proud to be a part of an organization that is committed to creating a work environment where our associates can openly address challenges, present opportunities and share perspectives in meaningful ways that will lead to lasting change.”

Related:Benefits of supplier diversity go way beyond the bottom line

The services arm of Ahold Delhaize USA, RBS provides the company’s grocery chains — Stop & Shop, Giant Food, The Giant Company, Food Lion and Hannaford — with support in merchandising, marketing, private label, IT, store operations, pharmacy, sourcing, financial, communications, supply chain and other areas. Wheeler has served as RBS president since January 2018.

As CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion signatories, Wheeler and Fleeman also have pledged to improve corporate performance, spur growth and enhance employee engagement as part of their efforts to foster D&I at their organizations.

Peapod Digital Labs, which provides e-commerce and digital services and innovation to Ahold Delhaize USA’s grocery brands, noted that it has embraced D&I as a pillar of its work environment, ranging from inclusive employee benefits to non-discrimination policies.

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“It's important to me that we demonstrate our commitment to diversity through our actions. In fact, this past year emphasized the need to have honest dialogue about challenges that exist in the workplace and to find new ways to act and do more,” according to Fleeman (left), who has served as Peapod Digital Labs president since its formation in May 2018, as well as chief e-commerce officer of Ahold Delhaize USA. “We recognize there is work to do, but this is one step we can take towards creating a work environment where everyone feels welcomed and enabled to do their best work. We want to openly address challenges, share experiences, and collaborate to achieve lasting and meaningful change in the lives of our employees.”

Related:Schnuck Markets, Ahold Delhaize USA and Pepsi share diversity gains and challenges

Last month, Ahold Delhaize’s Stop & Shop, Giant Food, The Giant Company, Food Lion and Hannaford chains announced they earned 100% scores on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index, earning designations as a “Best Place to work for LGBTQ Equality.” The Corporate Equality Index rated companies on such criteria as non-discrimination policies, employment benefits, demonstrated organizational competency and accountability around LGBTQ diversity and inclusion, public commitment to LGBTQ equality and responsible citizenship.

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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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