Kroger CEO joins VF Corp. board

The VF Corp. is adding some heavy duty retail expertise to its board of directors.

The company announced it has named Kroger CEO and chairman W. Rodney McMullen as a director.



McMullen, 55, was elected chairman of the board of Kroger on Jan. 1, 2015, and was named CEO on Jan. 1, 2014. Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, is one of the world’s largest grocery retailers, with fiscal 2014 sales of $108.5 billion.



“Rodney is a proven business leader who understands the opportunities and complexities associated with a large retail organization that features many consumer-facing brands,” said Eric Wiseman, VF Corporation’s chairman and CEO. “The depth and breadth of his experiences and insights will serve the VF board of directors beginning on day one. He knows the value of brands, knows how to establish and sustain brand loyalty and understands what it takes to grow brands to new levels. We are pleased to have Rodney as a member of our board of directors.”



Prior to his current role, McMullen served as president and COO of Kroger from August 2009 to December 2013. Before that he was elected vice chairman, effective June 2003; executive VP, strategy, planning and finance, effective January 2000; executiveVP and CFO, effective May 1999; senior VP, effective October 1997; and GVP and CFO, effective June 1995. McMullen joined the company in 1978 as a part-time stock clerk.



McMullen is a member of the board of directors of Cincinnati Financial Corp. He also serves on the board of trustees of Xavier University and on the Business Partnership Foundation, Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky. Mr. McMullen earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, a B.B.A. in Finance, and a master’s degree in Accounting, all from the University of Kentucky.