Food Lion’s Meg Ham Named PG/NEW 2015 Trailblazer
Meg Ham, president of Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion, has been selected as the 2015 Top Women in Grocery Trailblazer from Progressive Grocer and the Chicago-based Network of Executive Women (NEW).
Ham will be feted at the upcoming Top Women in Grocery gala celebration on Nov. 12, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, in Orlando, Fla.
“In appreciation and recognition of her talents, tenacity and unflagging efforts to advance women through the ranks at Food Lion, coupled with her commitment to advancing extremely worthwhile causes in the hundreds of local communities that Food Lion proudly serves, we’re truly delighted and very proud to honor Meg Ham as our 2015 Top Woman in Grocery Trailblazer,” says Meg Major, PG’s chief content editor.
Kevin Holt, Delhaize America president and CEO, applauds the selection of Ham as this year’s Trailblazer. “Meg has a unique and highly admirable characteristic of being able to bring people together, and develop and coach them into a unified team that works really well together,” says Holt. Evidence of this trait, he continues, “is revealed in the outstanding work that Meg and her entire Food Lion team have done in a relatively short amount of time,” which, according to Holt, epitomizes “true inspirational leadership.”
Adds Joan Toth, NEW president and CEO: “Meg Ham exemplifies servant leadership and inclusion. Throughout her career, she has provided great mentorship and partnership with both internal and external associates. We are honored to have Meg serve on the NEW board of directors, and offer our congratulations and warm wishes on her selection as the 2015 Trailblazer.”
As president of Food Lion, Ham oversees all aspects of the regional banner’s operations, including financial performance, merchandising, pricing, customer service, marketing and strategy. As a member of the parent company’s corporate leadership team, she offers an extensive background in both retail operations and merchandising, along with an ability to maintain a strong focus on customer service and the associate experience, all of which are essential to Food Lion’s strategy, Easy, Fresh & Affordable … You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day!
Career Built on Value of Service to Customers, Associates
For more than 26 years, Ham has built her career as a food retailer, focused on the value of service to customers and associates.
Ham joined the Delhaize America family of supermarkets in 1988. Her wide-ranging leadership roles have included leading brand operations for Bottom Dollar Food, Bloom, Food Lion, Harveys and Reid’s, as well as overseeing dry merchandising initiatives, with responsibilities for perishable and nonperishable product procurement and merchandising. She has been active in the banner’s pricing strategies, integrating Food Lion’s supply chain with other Delhaize America supermarkets, and leading efforts to maximize in-store merchandising. She also held a variety of leadership roles at Scarborough, Maine-based Hannaford Supermarkets for more than 10 years.
Originally from central New York, Ham, who resides in Concord, N.C., with her husband and two sons, earned a B.S. in business management and marketing from Cornell University. She currently serves on the national Easter Seals board of directors, the FMI Foundation board of trustees and the NEW national board. In addition, she’s a past member of the board of governors for Saint Joseph’s University’s Food Marketing Educational Foundation.
Established in 2012, the PG/NEW Trailblazer Award recognizes a single executive whose leadership, vision and influence have helped break new ground for women in the retail food industry.
PG’s 2015 Top Women in Grocery awards program marks the ninth year the national trade publication has recognized the invaluable contributions of women from all walks of the retail food industry in three categories: Senior-level Executives, Rising Stars and Store Managers.
Additional details about PG’s Top Women in Grocery gala event, including registration and program information, hotel accommodations, and a complete list of current and past winners, can be found here.