Food Lion President Meg Ham: "Be Curious and 'Understand Out' to Move Up"
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Meg Ham, president of Food Lion, a grocery retailer with 1,100-plus stores across 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. In the wide-ranging interview, Ham discusses what her day-to-day looks like at Food Lion (1:00), her 30-year career journey from retail store manager to her current position (2:30), and how she advanced in her career by taking roles that would challenge her (8:12). She shares how her innate curiosity drove her to broaden her knowledge across the organization vs. always moving up into leadership (12:13), as well as the lessons she’s learned from implementing organizational change (13:45).
Furthermore, Ham details how she fosters professional development initiatives for Food Lion employees, particularly women (16:40), and the business’ recent recognition by Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity (20:45). Lastly, she discusses the grocer’s various philanthropic and community programs, including Food Lion Feeds, and its sustainability efforts going forward (24:32).
As president of Food Lion, Meg Ham leads a team of more than 82,000 associates dedicated to providing fresh, healthy and affordable food. Under her leadership, Food Lion serves nearly 10 million customers each week across its 10-state operating footprint. With more than 30 years in the grocery industry, Ham has built a distinguished career and strong reputation for her focus on serving each customer with respect and ensuring great associate experiences. Under her leadership at Food Lion, she has been instrumental in growing customer loyalty, evolving the brand into an omnichannel retailer and empowering associates to meet customers’ needs. Ham has also led brand operations for Bottom Dollar Food, Bloom, and Harveys and Reid’s. She received the 2015 TWIG Trailblazer Award and holds a B.S. in business management and marketing from Cornell University.
Date: February 21, 2023
Credits: Meg Ham
Duration: 29:02
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