The Retail Business Services (RBS) organization is charged with supporting Ahold Delhaize USA’s five great local brands: Food Lion, Hannaford, Giant Food, The GIANT Company and Stop & Shop. Heather Paquette was tapped to join the executive team to create a new function within RBS known as the Retail Innovation Center of Excellence team to accelerate, drive and invest strategically in innovation to enhance the consumer and associate experience.
RBS is solely responsible for sourcing innovation to support retail operations that scale across all brands. Heather and her team shepherd emerging technology initiatives through the innovation lifecycle and effectively navigate the unique customer demands in each brand’s local market, strengthening omnichannel efforts.
Heather is responsible for delivering seven to eight figures in an internal accounting savings number each year for the next several years. Beyond the quantitative numbers, Heather has taken on measuring net innovation, including benefits realized through associate mobility efforts or environmental improvements through other health and sustainability initiatives.
Heather’s purpose, personally and professionally, is “always press forward, always give back,” something her team believes she exudes every day. She is always there to recognize and acknowledge the success of others and is focused on building and strengthening relationships throughout RBS and all Ahold Delhaize brands.