Former Limited Brands exec to head Topco supply chain

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. — Topco Associates LLC has hired former Limited Brands executive Paul Matthews as the company’s EVP and chief supply chain officer, reporting to president and CEO Randy Skoda.

Topco provides aggregation, innovation and knowledge management solutions for leading food industry member-owners and customers. Matthews will oversee procurement of the company’s corporate brand and perishable products as well as the company’s logistics, supply chain management and quality assurance areas.

“Paul is a great addition to our executive team and will play a critical role in building more strategic partnerships with our vendors and members,” Skoda said. “We plan to leverage Paul’s extensive knowledge and expertise to make our supply chain more efficient and effective, enhancing the value that we provide to our membership. By truly aggregating the volume of the entire Topco membership and driving value through an enhanced supply chain, we will be able to drive even more value for our members.”

Matthews has more than 30 years of global leadership experience with Fortune 500 companies, developing and executing operations, manufacturing and supply chain strategies. He has held top operational roles at major companies such as Limited Brands, and led the supply chain practices of management consulting firms Bain & Company, Accenture and Capgemini. He has worked with a lengthy list of well-known companies including Sara Lee, PepsiCo, Quaker Oats, Cargill, Ahold and Tesco.

Most recently, Matthews was a partner at the global strategy firm L.E.K. Consulting, where he led its global operations practice. During his time with L.E.K., he built a team of more than 100 professionals who provided strategy, supply chain and procurement guidance to retail, consumer packaged goods, private equity, pharmaceutical and aerospace firms.