Wal-Mart, Unilever Join GS1 US Board

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. — Cameron Geiger of Wal-Mart Stores and Kees Kruythoff of Unilever North America have been appointed to the board of governors of GS1 US here, which oversees supply chain standards such as bar codes and data synchronization.

Geiger is vice president of merchandise replenishment for Wal-Mart Stores U.S., which has nearly 3,900 stores. He has been with Wal-Mart for 10 years, serving on the senior leadership teams of four operating divisions in three countries. Geiger was honored as the Sam Walton Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008 for progress in sustainability.

“Wal-Mart has been on the leading edge of using standards and technology to enhance supply chain efficiency, including the use of the GS1 electronic product code to ensure we can offer our customers the best possible selection and price in our stores,” said Geiger, in a statement. “I’m both humbled and proud to join this group of professionals, and I look forward to contributing to strategies that lead to further adoption of GS1 Standards across industry.” 

Kruythoff is president of Unilever North America. Previously, as chief executive officer for Unilever Brazil, Kruythoff was nominated as one of the country’s top 10 sustainability leaders. He has also served as CEO of Unilever Foods in South Africa, and senior vice president, beverages, in Unilever’s Northeast Asia region.

The GS1 US board also includes executives from such companies as Coca-Cola Refreshments, Johnson & Johnson, the Kroger Co., Procter & Gamble, Publix Super Markets, the J.M. Smucker Co., McKesson Corp., Wakefern Food Corp., and Wegmans Food Markets, in addition to the Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers of America.