Ahold Delhaize Taps McDonald’s Veteran as New Chief Digital Officer

Farhan Siddiqi, who led McDonald’s Inc.’s digital transformation, is joining Ahold Delhaize in a similar role.

Siddiqi has been appointed chief digital officer for the Dutch food retailer effective Jan. 28 and will join the company’s executive committee, Ahold Delhaize said. In this role, Siddiqi will drive digital transformation and innovation, focusing on loyalty, data analytics and personalization.

Photograph courtesy of Ahold Delhaize

Ahold Delhaize has big ambitions for digital, having recently revamped leadership at its U.S.-based Peapod e-commerce business and established Peapod Digital Labs to bring an integrated platform and digital marketing and media programs across its brands.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Farhan to Ahold Delhaize. With his knowledge of the digital customer experience in a wide variety of industries, he will help further accelerate Ahold Delhaize’s digital transformation, a key element in our Leading Together strategy,” CEO Frans Muller said in a statement. “Farhan will drive best practice sharing in digital and e-commerce across our great local brands while leveraging our global scale, supporting us in doubling net consumer online sales to around 7 billion euros by 2021.”

At McDonald’s, Siddiqi most recently was chief digital officer and led the restaurant chain’s digital transformation, including the launch of mobile commerce in 20,000 restaurants, a new mobile app and the upgrade of self-service ordering kiosks. He was also responsible for data analytics and extending customer relationship management capabilities.

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Prior to this, Siddiqi held several key leadership positions with Bank of America, Target and General Electric, where he focused on implementing customer loyalty programs, digital payment solutions and strategic partnerships.