Food Lion exec recognized as diversity champion

Salisbury, N.C. Food Lion said Tuesday that Eric Watson, VP talent acquisition, has been named recipient of The Diversity Forum's first-ever Diversity Champion Award.

The Diversity Champion Award recognizes an individual who exhibits outstanding community leadership and advances employment diversity.

Watson joined Food Lion in 2003, and has developed strategies to impact business success by creating a vision to manage diversity, designing leadership mentoring programs to promote diversity and establishing an accountability system for business diversity.

In addition to Watson's award, Food Lion received an honorable mention for The Diversity Forum's Trailblazer Award, which is presented to a company that has demonstrated exceptional leadership and success in the recruitment, hiring and retention of a diverse work force.

Food Lion is a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group. Food Lion operates more than 1,300 supermarkets, either directly or through affiliated entities, under the names of Food Lion, Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, Harveys and Reid's.