Kroger, Target and Wakefern execs join GS1 US Board of Governors
The GS1 US Board of Governors has elected four industry leaders from the grocery retail and health care sectors to join the board.
Those chosen include Todd James, chief data and technology officer for The Kroger Co.’s 84.51°; Kraig Narr, senior vice president of global supply chain and logistics for Target; Mike Stigers, president of Wakefern Food Corp.; and Pavan Heda, vice president of global trade controls and enterprise supply chain project management office for Johnson & Johnson, according to a news release.
These executives join a group of leaders who help guide the GS1 US strategy to drive the adoption and use of GS1Standards as a common foundation for retail commerce, consumer experiences and supply chain management, the release said. The cross-industry GS1 US Board of Governors represents companies in apparel, general merchandise, retail grocery, foodservice, health care and 20 other industries.
“These accomplished leaders’ experience in shaping successful supply chains for four of the most prominent companies in the world will be instrumental in helping us guide our members in their respective transformation efforts,” Bob Carpenter, president and CEO of GS1 US, said in the release. “As the world moves deeper into a digital economy, unique identification of products, entities, locations and more, will remain critical to connecting physical and digital channels to create a seamless shopping experience for consumers and also to provide deeper levels of visibility for all stakeholders in supply chains.”
The GS1 US Board of Governors comprises executives from leading organizations including Amazon; Beth Israel Lahey Health in Boston; The Coca-Cola Co.; Dot Foods Inc.; eBay Inc.; Golden State Foods; Google; Johnson & Johnson; Kroger; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; PepsiCo; The Procter & Gamble Co.; Publix Inc.; PVH Corp.; Target; Topco Associates LLC; Wakefern Food Corp.; Walmart; and Wegmans Food Markets Inc. The full list is available at gs1us.org/bog.
About the new board members
Heda has worked at Johnson & Johnson for 25 years, gaining experience across various segments of the company, including Innovative Medicine, MedTech, and the previously owned Consumer Health. Heda has worked in wide-ranging areas of strategy development, portfolio management, product development, research and development operations, supply chain, project management, and integration of acquired assets, the release said.
Leading Kroger’s data and advanced analytics agenda, James has broad responsibility across both Kroger and its subsidiary, 84.51°. He leads technology, data science, research and development, and the consumer research P&L at 84.51°. Additionally, at Kroger he is responsible for digital analytics, business intelligence, research and development, and enterprise data. In this role, James leads efforts to build on Kroger’s rich data, science, and technology capabilities, drive digital transformation and pave the way for continued growth, the release said.
At Target, Narr is responsible for design engineering, activation and product teams that create solutions to enable a great guest and team member experience, the release said. Narr has been a Target team member since 1998 and has held various roles across the Target technology teams, most recently as the vice president of stores and supply chain technology.
Stigers joined Wakefern Food Corp., the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the U.S., in 2023 as president. Stigers has five decades of food industry knowledge and has a distinguished track record in both the retail and wholesale sides of the supermarket business, having held executive roles in operations, merchandising, supply chain and fresh, the release said.
