The $43 billion supermarket retailer Kroger just crowned its new CEO: longtime retail executive Greg Foran. This is the third time that Foran will be steering a billion-dollar company—and it all started with stocking grocery store shelves.
Born and raised in New Zealand, he launched his career working at the country’s popular supermarket chain, Woolworths. The then teenager already had a part-time job there filling the supermarket shelves on Friday nights when he graduated high school. But Foran said he wasn’t too keen on attending college, and his parents actually agreed with his stance, believing he wasn’t ready yet.
Instead, his mom inspired him to climb Woolworths’ ranks, sending a job ad his way.
“I actually never went to university,” Foran said on the Between Two Beers Podcast last year. “Mom said, ‘Look, there’s a job as a trainee manager in Woolworths—why don’t you apply for that?’ … I had never really considered joining as a retailer, and she was the one who said, ‘Well, you’re applying.’ And I said, ‘Yes, Mum.’”
Foran landed the job while he was still just 17 years old. In the back of his mind, he figured that he’d stay in the role for one year and then move on, Foran admitted. Yet one year blurred into a 30-year career in retail—one that went to heights he never dreamed of early in his career.
“I thought that it would be terrific if I could be the store manager of that Hamilton store by the time I retired,” Foran explained. And it only took him three years to complete his vision; at just 20 years old, he was promoted to store manager, one of the chain’s youngest supermarket leaders.
The 64-year-old stepped into Kroger’s top role this Monday, sending the company’s shares up to 8% higher. His appointment was clearly a welcome change after years of turbulence at the supermarket conglomerate—and Foran shows promise with a track record of executive success.
Fortune reached out to Kroger for comment.
Foran’s 14-year tenure as a CEO at billion-dollar companies
After spending three decades at Woolworths, progressing into senior leadership roles, he was passed up for the CEO role in 2011.
So Foran began looking for new opportunities, and $1 trillion retail behemoth Walmart became his new home. By 2012, he became the president and CEO of Walmart China, progressing to the entire Asia region in spring of 2014. Then, just a couple of months later, Foran was elevated to the helm of Walmart U.S., overseeing 1.6 million American workers.
After five years of leadership, he returned to his home country and became the chief executive of billion-dollar flagship airline Air New Zealand. It was 2020, and the pandemic was at its peak, severely impacting the travel business.
Foran has since returned to his retail roots in leading Kroger, which has struggled with its own bouts of issues.
For nearly a year the company’s CEO role has sat unfilled after its former top boss, Rodney McMullen, resigned following a board investigation that deemed his personal conduct was “inconsistent” with some company policies. A slew of other executives have left the company since, causing more disruption as the business seeks to attract shoppers amid a cost of living crisis. Foran was tapped to take the wheel, and steer the conglomerate back on course.
“If you find something that you like doing, then you put more effort in, and you get good at it. And if that gets recognized, then you get more opportunity,” Foran said of the logic behind his career success on the podcast.
“I never in my career had this view that I would end up doing what I was doing at any real point. I’ve just put my head down and got on with it, and do the very best job I can.”
