United Natural Foods, Incorporated, also known as UNFI, is a distributor of natural and organic foods, specialty foods, and related products in the United States and Canada.

Food & Beverage

United Natural Foods

Mark Bushway is the current Chief Supply Chain Officer at [United Natural Foods](/org/united-natural-foods). Mark previously worked at [C&S Wholesale Grocers](/org/cs-wholesale-grocers) from December 1989 to December 2003, where they held the title of Manager.

Mark Bushway received their undergraduate degree from Plymouth State University.

Their manager is Eric A. Dorne, COO.

Mark Bushway

Steve Dietz was the Executive Vice President at Tony's Fine Food from August 2000 to August 2016. Steve is currently the Chief Customer Officer at [United Natural Foods](/org/united-natural-foods).

Steve Dietz has an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Davis.

Some of their coworkers include Louis Martin - Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Stacey Kravitz - President, Canadian Division, and Christopher P. Testa - President & Chief Marketing Officer. Steve Dietz reports to Sandy Douglas, Chief Executive Officer.

Steve Dietz

Dorn Wenninger was names Senior Vice President of Produce in February of 2021. He has more than 25 years of experience in the procurement, sales, marketing and operations of several packaged foods and retail companies. He most recently served as vice president perishables for [Walmart](/org/walmart) Mexico where he was responsible for sourcing, buying, and product development of the fresh departments for 2,400 stores in the region as well as [Walmart](/org/walmart)'s owned meat processing plants. Prior to this role, he was vice president of produce and floral and vice [resident of global food sourcing for [Walmart](/org/walmart) USA.

Prior to joining [Walmart](/org/walmart), Wenninger held positions of increasing responsibility with several firms across the United States, Europe, Central America, and Asia. Wenninger served as Chairman of the Board of Directors at The Cobblestone Project, a non-profit farm which provides fresh produce to local Food Banks, and on the Board of Directors of the Amigos de las Americas nonprofit organization. He has also been a member of the Fresh Produce Association Board of Directors.

Wenninger received his International MBA from Thunderbird’s American Graduate School of International Management and a Bachelor of Arts from [Kent State University](/org/kent-state-university).

Dorn Wenninger

Horvath oversees UNFI’s fulfillment network transformation, and leads automation initiatives, including the recently announced automation agreement with Symbotic. Her work supports the Company’s long-term strategy, leveraging her 17 years of experience garnered at AmerisourceBergen Corporation, a more than $200 billion global pharmaceutical wholesale company.

During her tenure at AmerisourceBergen, Horvath most recently served as Chief Transformation Officer with a focus on accelerating the Company’s high-growth, high-value subsidiaries, strategic partnerships, and mergers and acquisition activities. She also has extensive experience leading AmerisourceBergen’s distribution network in roles as President, Distribution Services (2019-2021) and Senior Vice President, Distribution Services (2017-2019) overseeing a team of over 5,000 associates and managing more than 50 distribution centers. During this time, she designed a five-year distribution and customer operations strategy, led the building of several new state-of-the-art greenfield distribution centers, and created a diverse, cross functional and geographically dispersed team focused on optimizing the company’s investment in its warehouse automation. She also spent time in senior leadership roles overseeing replenishment, continuous improvement, and commercial operations.

Prior to working with AmerisourceBergen, Horvath served as a management consultant at Smart and Associates, a business consulting firm, and at Arthur Andersen Business Consulting, and garnered foundational experience in distribution and operations at McMaster-Carr Supply Company and the U.S. Department of the Navy as a contract specialist.

Horvath serves as a board member for the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation, and recently completed service for Healthcare Ready where she served as a board member for four years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from George Washington University and an MBA from Villanova University.

Erin Horvath

Eric Esper is the current Chief Accounting Officer & Controller at [United Natural Foods](/org/united-natural-foods). Prior to this, they were the Executive Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer at The Hertz Corporation from March 2018 to October 2020. Eric has also worked as the Vice President of Brand Finance & Strategy at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. from July 2010 to March 2018 and as an Audit Manager at PwC from August 2004 to June 2010.

Eric Esper has completed a Master of Accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Accounting from the University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business. Eric also holds a certification from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs as a Certified Public Accountant.

Their manager is John W. Howard, CFO.

Eric Esper

In this role, Clare leads and executes on the vision, strategy, and operations of UNFI's Information Technology (IT) team to better allow the Company to serve more than 30,000 customers throughout the United States and Canada. 

Clare has more than 20 years of experience in IT and strategic leadership roles for prominent consumer packaged goods and restaurant retailers. He most recently served as Chief Information and Strategy Officer at Dunkin' Brands, where he was responsible for directing all information technology resources with an intense focus on supporting franchisees and driving restaurant profitability through technology.

Prior to joining Dunkin' Brands, Clare served as Vice President, IT and Chief Information Officer for Yum! Restaurants International, and spent seven years with [Constellation Brands](/org/constellation-brands), most recently as its Vice President, Technical Services. Earlier in his career, Clare was a System and Flight Test Engineer with the United States Air Force.

Clare received his BS in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado; his MS in Aerospace Engineering from the [University of Dayton](/org/university-of-dayton) in Ohio; and his MBA from the University of California, Davis.

Jack Clare

Denise M. Clark has served as a member of the Board since February 2013. Ms. Clark serves as the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee. As of October 16, 2018, Ms. Clark serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Ceasars Entertainment Corporation and also serves as a member of its Compensation Committee. Ms. Clark served as Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer for The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. from November 2012 until her retirement in March 2017. Prior to that role, Ms. Clark served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Hasbro Inc. from October 2007 to November 2012. Ms. Clark also served at Mattel, Inc., where she was Global Chief Technology Officer and later Chief Information Officer for the Fisher Price brand between January 2000 and February 2007. Ms. Clark's previous experience includes two other consumer goods companies, [Warner Music Group](/org/warner-music-group), formerly a division of Time Warner Inc., and Apple Inc. Ms. Clark has over 20 years of experience in the delivery of enterprise resource planning, digital platforms and innovative business transformation initiatives.

Denise M. Clark

Ann Torre Bates has served as a member of the Board since October 2013. Ms. Bates serves as the Chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Bates has served as a member of the board of directors of Ares Capital Corporation since 2010, and held a directorship at Allied Capital Corporation until it was acquired by Ares Capital Corporation in 2010. Ms. Bates also serves as director or trustee of 17 investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of mutual funds. Ms. Bates was a strategic and financial consultant from 1997 to 2012. From 1995 to 1997, Ms. Bates served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of NHP, Inc., a national real estate services firm. Ms. Bates previously served as a member of the board of directors of [Navient](/org/navient) Corporation from April 2014 to August 2016, and she served on the board of directors of [Navient](/org/navient)'s predecessor, SLM Corporations, from 1997 to 2014.

Ann Torre Bates

Jack Stahl, has served as a member of our Board since June 2019 and as Chair of the Board since August 2021. Mr. Stahl is a member of the Compensation Committee and the Audit Committee, and served as Chair of the Compensation Committee from September 2020 to August 2021. Mr. Stahl has served as a member of the Board and the Lead Director of Catalent, Inc., a contract manufacturing and development company for drugs, biologics and consumer health products since August 2014. Mr. Stahl served as President and Chief Executive Officer of [Revlon](/org/revlon) Inc., a multinational cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and personal care company, from 2002 until his retirement in 2006. Prior to joining [Revlon](/org/revlon), Mr. Stahl served as President and Chief Operating Officer of [The [Coca-Cola](/org/coca-cola) Company](/org/the-coca-cola-company) from 2000 to 2001, after previously serving in various management positions of increasing responsibility, including Chief Financial Officer, during a tenure with [Coca-Cola](/org/coca-cola) which began in 1979. Today, Mr. Stahl also serves on the U.S. board of advisors of CVC Capital, a private equity firm. Additionally, he formerly served on the Boards of Board of Advantage Solutions LLC, Schering Plough Corporation, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Saks, Inc., Coty Inc. and [Ahold Delhaize](/org/ahold-delhaize), and was chairman of the board of managers of New Avon LLC.

Jack Stahl

John W. Howard was appointed Interim Chief Financial Officer in August 2019. Mr. Howard joined us in July 2019 as Senior Vice President, Finance. Prior to that, Mr. Howard served as Interim Chief Financial Officer for [Prime Therapeutics](/org/prime-therapeutics) from July 2018 to May 2019. From August 2014 to July 2017, Mr. Howard was Vice President, Corporate Finance for [Valspar Corporation](/org/valspar-corporation) leading the global accounting, tax, treasury, regional CFOs and corporate financial planning and analysis. Prior to that, Mr. Howard held a number of finance and tax roles at Celanese Corporation and Reichhold, Inc. Mr. Howard began his career as a tax consultant with Arthur Anderson and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Howard holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Accounting, Tax, both from [University of Virginia](/org/university-of-virginia).

John W. Howard

Mahrukh Hussain has served as the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since May 2022. Prior to joining UNFI, Ms. Hussain served as Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial and Privacy Officer for McDonald’s Corporation. Previously, Ms. Hussain served as McDonald’s U.S. General Counsel; Europe General Counsel; Central Division General Counsel; and Senior Counsel/Counsel U.S. Real Estate Practice Groups. Prior to working with McDonald’s, she was an Associate at the law firm of Schwartz, Cooper, Greenberger, and Krauss and served one year as a judicial clerk for Justice Rita Garman. Ms. Hussain holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Mahrukh Hussain

Louis Martin has served as our Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer since March 2022.  Prior to joining UNFI, Mr. Martin served as President of the Global Walmart Customer Team at [The [Coca-Cola](/org/coca-cola) Company](/org/the-coca-cola-company).  Mr. Martin held several positions during his 15 years at [Coca-Cola](/org/coca-cola) including Senior Vice President of System Evolution for [Coca-Cola](/org/coca-cola) North America.  Prior to working with [Coca-Cola](/org/coca-cola), Mr. Martin was with [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company) and previously with E.D. & F. Man, a British Sugar Trade House.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from [Princeton University](/org/princeton) as well as an MBA in Finance and Management from the Stern School of Business at New York University.



Louis Martin

Matt Echols has served as our Chief Corporate Affairs Officer since March 2022. Prior to joining UNFI, Mr. Echols served as Global Vice President for Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability at The Coca-Cola Company. Mr. Echols held several positions during his 24 years at Coca-Cola including Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability for North America from 2015 to 2019, and from 2019-2021 a similar role in Asia Pacific based in Singapore. Before joining Coca-Cola, Mr. Echols worked on Capitol Hill for several members of the U.S. Congress. He holds a master’s degree in marketing communications from Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of West Georgia.

Matt Echols

Shamim Mohammad has served as a member of the Board since February 2022.  Mr. Mohammad currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer of CarMax Inc., the largest used car retailer in the United States, third largest wholesaler of used cars in the United States and a leading auto finance company, a position he has held since April 2021. He has held various senior technology roles of increasing responsibility since 2012. Prior to joining CarMax, Mr. Mohammad held information technology leadership roles at BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc., Blockbuster, Inc. and TravelClick, Inc. In 2020, MIT Sloan selected Mr. Mohammad as the recipient of the CIO Leadership Award, which recognizes CIOs who lead their organizations to deliver exemplary levels of business value through the innovative use of technology. Mr. Mohammad is a registered CPA.

Shamim Mohammad

Paul Green is the President of Fresh at UNFI. Paul joined the company in 2010 as National Vice President of Operations. 

Paul Green

With more than 25 years in progressive high-profile leadership positions within sales at Kraft Foods, then Kraft Heinz Company and UNFI Canada, Kravitz has received numerous awards recognizing her influence, innovation, dedication, and leadership in the grocery industry. In May 2019, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) and chairs CHFA's HR committee.      

Kravitz is a graduate of [McGill University](/org/mcgill-university) and the Queens and Ivey Executive Program where she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and an Executive Education in Strategic Planning and Finance certificate.

Brennan joined UNFI in 2016 and has spent the past four years leading UNFI's Canadian division. He will stay in his current role through August 7, 2020 and remain in a consulting role until October to help advise and transition the work to Kravitz. Brennan's retirement comes after a tremendous 50-year career in the grocery industry.

Stacey Kravitz

Danielle M. Benedict

Christopher P. Testa

Sandy Douglas, has served as our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board since August 2021. He most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of Staples, Inc. from April 2018 to June 2021, which included leading that company’s business-to-business distribution platform. Prior to Staples, Mr. Douglas served as President of Coca-Cola North America until February 2018, where he led the $10 billion revenue business, encompassing all aspects of its consumer and business-to-business operations. During Mr. Douglas’ 30-year tenure at Coca-Cola, he also served as Global Chief Customer Officer, and held a variety of positions across sales and marketing. Mr. Douglas began his career at The Procter & Gamble Company in sales and sales management positions. Since May 2020, Mr. Douglas has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Wawa Inc., a leading convenience retailer in the eastern US.

Sandy Douglas

Gloria R. Boyland

Eric F. Artz has served as a member of the Board since October 2015. Mr. Artz is a member of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Artz has served as President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as served on the board of directors, of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (“REI”) since May 2019. He served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of REI from August 2014 to May 2019. In addition to this role, Mr. Artz also served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of REI from May 2012 to December 2015. Prior to REI, Mr. Artz served as Chief Financial Officer for Urban Outfitters, Inc. from February 2010 to April 2012. From August 1992 until January 2010, Mr. Artz served in various positions of increasing responsibility at [VF Corporation](/org/v-f-corp).

Eric F. Artz

Daphne J. Dufresne has served as a member of the Board since October 2016. Ms. Dufresne is a member of the Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee. Ms. Dufresne has been a Managing Partner of GenNx360 Capital Partners since January 2017. Ms. Dufresne was previously a Managing Director of [RLJ Equity Partners](/org/rlj-equity-partners), a private equity fund, from December 2005 to June 2016. Ms. Dufresne participated in building the RLJ investment team, raising capital to fund its operations and constructing a partnership with [The Carlyle Group](/org/the-carlyle-group), a global private equity firm. Prior to that role, Ms. Dufresne was a Venture Partner during 2005 with Parish Capital Advisors, an investment fund for emerging and experienced institutional investors and a Principal from 1999 to 2005 at Weston Presidio Capital, a private equity organization. She also served as Associate Director in 1997 in the Bank of Scotland's Structured Finance Group. Ms. Dufresne has been a director of Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc. since June 2015, and was appointed chair in May 2019

Daphne J. Dufresne

Michael S. Funk has been a member of the Board since February 1996 and served as Chair of the Board from January 2003 to December 2003, and again from September 2008 to December 2016. Mr. Funk served as our President and Chief Executive Officer from October 2005 to September 2008. Mr. Funk also served as Vice Chair of the Board from February 1996 until December 2002, as our Chief Executive Officer from December 1999 until December 2002 and as our President from October 1996 until December 1999. From its inception in July 1976 until April 2001, Mr. Funk served as President of Mountain People's Warehouse, Inc., now known as United Natural Foods West, Inc., one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries.

Michael S. Funk

James Muehlbauer has served as a member of the Board of Directors since April 2019. Mr. Muehlbauer serves as a member of the Audit Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee. Mr. Muehlbauer served as the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for The Valspar Corporation from 2013 to 2017. Prior to that role, Mr. Muehlbauer served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Best Buy Co., Inc. from 2007 to 2013. In addition to his corporate roles, Mr. Muehlbauer has served on the Board of Overseer’s for the Carlson School of Management at the [University of Minnesota](/org/university-of-minnesota) since 2011.

James L. Muehlbauer

Peter A. Roy has served as a member of the Board since June 2007 and as the Lead Independent Director since September 2019. Mr. Roy serves as a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Mr. Roy is an entrepreneur and since 1999 has been a strategic advisor to North Castle Partners. In connection with his role as a strategic advisor to North Castle Partners, Mr. Roy served on the boards of Avalon Natural Products, Inc. and Naked Juice Company. From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Roy served as President of Whole Foods Market, Inc. and, for five years prior to that, served as President of that company's West Coast Region.

Peter A. Roy

The executive team at United Natural Foods has a history of experience in the food industry. The team's chief customer officer previously worked at Tony's Fine Food, and the executive vice president has a degree in agricultural economics from the University of California, Davis. This experience and education gives the team a well-rounded understanding of the food industry, from production to distribution.

CEO and Executive Team

About

Team members

Other teams at United Natural Foods

Leadership Team

Board of Directors

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