Ahold Delhaize Appoints PepsiCo’s Rom Kosla as Retail Business Services CIO

Rom Kosla, a veteran food executive with more than 25 years of information technology experience, has been appointed EVP and chief information officer of Retail Business Services, the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA.

Kosla, whose new role was effective April 5, succeeds Paul Scorza, who retired late last year. Kosla will be based in Quincy, Mass. He joins the company from PepsiCo, where he most recently was SVP and CIO of Corporate and Enterprise Solutions. Kosla previously worked in IT roles at Deloitte Consulting and Nestle.

At Retail Business Services, Kosla will oversee all aspects of IT for the U.S. businesses, with a specific focus on delivering common systems and innovation that create digitally enabled experiences and support the omnichannel ambitions of Ahold Delhaize USA’s local brands, the company said.

“Rom has two and a half decades of global IT experience, across all aspects of the industry—from development and applications to infrastructure and e-commerce,” said Roger Wheeler, president of Retail Business Services. “He not only brings a depth of experience that will create strong IT foundations and strategies that support the brands’ omnichannel ambitions, but he is also a great leader of people with a proven track record of developing an inclusive culture where associates are engaged and find purpose in their work. We look forward to leveraging this strong blend of expertise and leadership during a pivotal time for Retail Business Services and all the U.S. businesses as we continue to transform for the future and meet the needs of connected customers.”

At PepsiCo, Kosla was responsible for all enterprisewide applications, digital sales and mobile solutions platforms, as well as application security and enterprisewide development and operations globally.

Kosla has served as an adviser to the Global Women’s Leadership Forum and as a leader for the Men on Board (MOB) initiative to support and mentor high-potential women to executive leadership roles.

“It is an honor for me to join Retail Business Services,” said Kosla. “We’re emerging from an unprecedented time for the food retail industry, and evolving consumer expectations continue to require new technologies, agile workstyles and more. I look forward to working alongside my new team and across the organization to support Ahold Delhaize USA and its local brands to pave the way for the future of grocery retail IT.”