Kings Makes Leadership Changes

Kings Food Markets has made several additions to its executive, operations and merchant teams.

“Talented leadership is paramount to any company’s success,” said Judy Spires, Chairman and CEO of Parsippany, N.J.-based gourmet food retailer. “By promoting these key leaders within our company, and bringing in new, top-tier talent, Kings is further positioned for growth and inspiration, as we continue to push the boundaries within the food industry.”

The appointments are as follows:

• Daniel Gallagher has joined the company as EVP and CFO. Gallagher brings more than 16 years’ experience in senior-level management to his new role overseeing the finance and loss prevention teams. 
• Jessica Gasser has been promoted to EVP of strategic services, in which capacity she will continue to oversee the areas of human resources, labor relations and information technology, while taking on the further responsibility of leading Kings’ strategic initiatives.
• Joseph Parisi has been promoted to SVP, operations. A 27-year Kings employee, Parisi most recently held the role of VP of operations. In his new position, he will continue to oversee the operations team, as well as assuming new leadership responsibilities.
• Arthur Goncalves has been promoted to VP of center store, in which capacity he will oversee center store operations along with pricing, brands and shelf management. Over the past 20 years, Goncalves has held such roles as general store manager, manager of category space allocation, manager of store development, director of seafood and, most recently, VP of produce and floral.
• Donna Mastellone has been promoted to VP, produce and floral, succeeding Goncalves. In her new role, she will oversee those departments’ category management business plans. In her 18 years with the company, Mastellone has held numerous roles within the organization, most recently as director of floral, specialty boutique sales and merchandising.
• Allen Merken has been promoted to senior director, engineering, maintenance and constructionIn his new role, he will support the company’s growth plans through site selection, analysis and planning, while continuing to oversee remodels and renovations.
• Thomas McNerney has been promoted to senior director, operations. In this role, he will oversee the operations and quality assurance departments.
• Kathe Benjamin has been promoted to director of human resources and labor relations. In her new role, she will oversee all aspects of HR, among them recruitment and retention, employee/ labor relations, training and performance management, and compensation and benefits.

Additionally, in the area of merchandising, Paul Hamilton has been promoted to produce buyer, in which capacity he will work closely with the produce/floral teams to develop new programs and in-store experiences, and Michele Edwards has been promoted to floral buyer, responsible for leading the buying efforts of the floral teams and continuing to ensure that the product mix and assortment meet customers’ needs.

Kings operates 25 stores in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.