C&S Wholesale brings in McKesson exec

C&S Wholesale Grocers appoints seasoned executive as its new Chief Supply Chain Officer.

The company announced  the appointment of Chris Smith as Chief Supply Chain Officer, effective Oct. 15. Smith will lead all Operations and Transportation teams, working across the organization to enhance the customer experience.

“Smith is a hands-on leader who believes in supporting and coaching his team,” said Mike Duffy, C&S Chief Executive Officer. “His significant logistics experience and positive approach to leadership will be tremendous assets as we execute on future initiatives.”

A seasoned supply chain and distribution executive with a finance background, Smith will bring more than 25 years of progressive leadership experience. He is joining C&S from McKesson where he has spent 13 successful years in senior leadership for the U.S. distribution business and, most recently, held the position of SVP of the Northeast region. Prior to McKesson, Smith spent 12 years with The Home Depot in progressive logistics and finance leadership roles.

The announcement comes shortly after the appointment of Joe Cavaliere as Chief Commercial Officer for C&S Wholesale, effective Sept. 4. Cavaliere brings more than 30 years of deep industry experience to C&S, having led national sales organizations at Kraft Foods, Unilever and Newell Brands, where he was most recently President and Global Chief Customer Officer. He is known in the consumer goods and food industries as a strategic leader with proven successes in customer development.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the lead supply chain company in the food industry,” said Smith. “The expertise of the C&S team is a valuable asset to independently owned retailers and national supermarket chains, and I look forward to working toward our mutual successes.”

C&S welcomes Smith into its lead logistics role, as Peter Fiore, Executive Vice President of Distribution, plans to retire at the end of 2018 following 26 years of dedicated service to the company and more than 40 years in the grocery industry.

Smith currently serves on the Board of Directors for Cancer Support Community of Walnut Creek, CA and the Supply Chain Leaders in Action (SCLA). He earned a B.A. in economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.