The Giant Co. names new CFO, SVP of operations

The Giant Company announced today that it has named Rebecca Lupfer chief financial officer and Dave Lessard senior vice president of operations, customer experience, and perishable distribution. Both will report directly to The Giant Company’s president, John Ruane. Both appointments are effective Monday, Oct. 16. 

In her new role, Lupfer will lead the finance, format, real estate, and strategy departments while Lessard will oversee the retail operations, perishable distribution, and transportation teams. 

After beginning her career at Highmark Blue Cross, Lupfer joined Ahold Financial Services in 2005 as a business analyst and held various internal audit positions of increasing responsibility before joining Ahold USA in 2016 as a portfolio lead for seasonal merchandising. She joined The Giant Company in 2018 as director of merchandising planning and was promoted to vice president of merchandising, center store, in 2019. Most recently, Lupfer served as divisional president of the company’s Mid-Atlantic division, overseeing retail operations at 100 Giant and Martin's stores in Central and Western Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, a role she has held since February 2022. 

Lupfer currently serves on the board of directors for the Academy of Food Marketing and The Food Marketing Educational Foundation at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. 

Following a nearly 25-year career at The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) where he held a variety of positions in merchandising and operations, Lessard joined the Ahold Delhaize family of brands in 2002 as director of produce at Giant Landover, where he also served as vice president of produce. At Ahold USA, he held a variety of roles including director of produce and vice president of produce and floral, helping to lead the transformation of the company’s produce department in 2014. Lessard joined The Giant Company in 2018 as vice president of fresh merchandising, overseeing the produce, meat and seafood, bakery, deli, prepared foods, and floral departments; in 2022, he added oversight of the company’s perishable distribution center to his responsibilities. 

Lessard currently serves on the board of directors for the York County Food Bank and on the Food Marketing Institute Fresh Food Leadership Council.