SpartanNash Appoints New CIO

SpartanNash has appointed Arif Dar, former chief information officer of  SC Johnson and Sons, to replace current CIO David deS. Couch following his retirement on Jan. 2. 

Arif Dar photograph courtesy of SpartanNash

In addition the the new hire, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer started off the new year with the announcement that it had completed its acquisition of Martin's Super Markets, including 21 Martin’s Super Markets, eight fuel centers, 17 in-store pharmacies, a pharmacy at Saint Joseph Health System in Mishawaka, Ind., a Martin's Express convenience store in South Bend, Ind., and a Side Door Cafe at Elkhart General Hospital.

As part of his new role as CIO and SVP of SpartanNash, Dar will oversee the development of the enterprise-wide IT strategy, including enterprise architecture management, application management, security and risk management, and infrastructure and operations support management while leading the IT team and "leveraging technologies to drive and sustain a competitive advantage," according to company officials. 

SpartanNash President and CEO David Staples, who Dar will report to directly, said the new hire's record of large IT strategic planning and execution, as well as his "vision, collaborative leadership, supply chain experience and knowledge of the food distribution industry, lay the foundation for success at SpartanNash."

"During his tenure at SC Johnson, Arif’s cross-functional relationships throughout the business, empowering management style and ability to drive operating efficiencies with diverse technologies drove an improved customer experience, cost savings and sales growth," Staples said. 

Staples added that Couch, who joined the company in 1987 and was CIO since 2013, showed leadership that was a key to the company's success.

In addition to his role at SC Johnson, Dar has held IT positions at Maple Leaf Foods in Toronto, Bombardier Transportation in Berlin as well as positions with U.S. companies General Motors, Tyco International and General Electric. He received his Master of Business Administration degree in MIS and Operations from the University of Western Ontario, Canada; his Master of Science degree in Communication Systems and Radio Engineering from King’s College, University of London, U.K.; and his Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics & Electrical Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore, Pakistan.