How Colleen Lindholz's Nonlinear Career Path Prepared Her to Lead Kroger Health
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health, the healthcare arm of America’s largest grocery retailer The Kroger Co. Lindholz discusses her responsibilities in her role leading Kroger Health (1:08), how she managed priorities day-to-day during the COVID-19 pandemic (2:18), and how the company organized teams into centers of excellence to tackle key challenges (4:17). She shares her strategies behind implementing innovation at speed (5:46), how her leadership style has evolved since the beginning of the pandemic (7:15), and how she’s maintaining employee motivation and wellness in her teams (9:22).
In addition, Lindholz discusses how she rose within the Kroger Co. from her first position as a store pharmacist (11:59), why she would often “take the road less traveled” when making nonlinear career moves (14:24), and how she developed Kroger’s “Food as Medicine” strategy (16:40). Lastly, she shares her vision for Kroger Health for the next few years (19:28), her personal goal to make a bigger difference in healthcare and community for 2022 (20:49), and her advice for finding a great mentor (21:45).
Colleen Lindholz is president of Kroger Health, the healthcare arm of The Kroger Co. Kroger Health is one of America’s leading retail healthcare organizations, with over 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics in 37 states. Colleen oversees all of the company’s pharmacy, clinical, and nutrition operations and services, including all healthcare-related digital solutions and telehealth platforms. She’s the lead architect of the company’s “Food as Medicine” strategy, and a passionate believer in Kroger Health’s vision to help people live healthier lives.
Colleen joined Kroger as a pharmacist in the Cincinnati division in 1995. From there, she held several Pharmacy roles within the division, including manager, coordinator, sales promoter, recruiter and merchandiser. Colleen was promoted to director of pharmacy sales and marketing at Kroger’s General Office in 2013. She was then promoted to president and CEO of the Little Clinic in April 2015. In April 2017, she was promoted to her current role as the first-ever president of the newly formed Kroger Health organization. Colleen earned a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Cincinnati, and resides with her family in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Date: March 15, 2022
Credits: Colleen Lindholz
Duration: 24:18
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