Giant appoints Jennifer Heinzen Krueger as team experience VP

Jennifer Heinzen Krueger has joined The Giant Company, the operator of Giant/Martin’s supermarkets, as vice president of team experience.

Plans call for Krueger, currently chief learning officer and vice president of learning and development at parent company Ahold Delhaize, to start in her new role on May 30, Carlisle, Pa.-based Giant said Thursday. She succeeds Matt Lutcavage, who left Giant this month to join beer, wine and spirits chain Total Wine & More as executive vice president of human resources and chief people officer.

As VP of team experience, Krueger (pictured left) will oversee The Giant Company’s human resources team, fostering a culture of care and innovation and enhancing the workplace and career experience for more than 35,000 employees, according to Giant. Her duties include people strategy, talent management, organizational development, diversity and inclusion, communications, corporate social responsibility, change management, training and development, and total rewards. She reports directly to The Giant Company President Nicholas Bertram.

Krueger has served as chief learning officer and VP of learning and development at Ahold Delhaize since January 2018. In her more than 14 years at the food retailer, which started in October 2007, she also held such posts as director of learning and best practice, senior director of talent and learning management, and director of group management development.

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For Krueger, the new appointment also marks a return to Giant. She spent nearly 10 years at the supermarket chain — then known as Giant Food Stores — from January 1998 to October 2007, most recently as manager of management development and training.  

“Jen is an industry expert in learning and organizational development and is a role model for curiosity and continuous learning,” Bertram said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to welcome her back to The Giant Company and to my leadership team and look forward to her contributions as we continue our strategic growth.”

Lutcavage spent more than four years at Giant, starting as VP of human resources in February 2018 at Giant Food Stores before being promoted to VP of team experience and chief human resources officer in February 2020, when the grocer changed its name to The Giant Company. Previously, he spent nearly four years in various positions at Ahold USA, most recently as VP of human resources business partners, and before that had a more than 17-year career at Weis Markets, serving most recently as director of human resources at the Mid-Atlantic chain.

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“Matt played a significant role in building our purpose-led company and in bringing our team promises to life,” Bertram commented. “He will be missed by many, and we wish him well as he begins his new adventure.”

Overall, The Giant Company operates about 190 grocery stores under the Giant, Martin’s and Giant Heirloom Market banners in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Its retail operations also include 133 pharmacies, 107 fuel stations, and more than 175 online pickup hubs and grocery delivery in hundreds of ZIP codes, with e-commerce also serving communities in New Jersey.