Former Air New Zealand chief executive officer Greg Foran has officially been named as the new boss of major US grocery retailer Kroger.
Kroger had more than 400,000 employees in 2023 and in excess of 2700 stores across the US.
The grocery chain is viewed as a big four retailer in the US, alongside Walmart, Costco and Amazon.
Foran is no stranger to heading a large US retail company - he was the chief executive and president of Walmart US between 2014 and 2019.
He was previously the CEO of Air New Zealand between 2020 and 2025 and was succeeded by Nikhil Ravishankar.
Foran, 64, began his career at age 17 as a shelf-stacker at Woolworths in Hamilton before managing a supermarket at age 20.
He then progressed through the organisation before joining Walmart in 2011.
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday Foran was tipped to lead Kroger but the announcement had not been made official until today.
Announcing the appointment, Kroger interim CEO Ron Sargent said Foran was a "highly respected operator who knows how to run large-scale retail businesses, strengthen store execution, and lead high-performing teams".
"His leadership style, focus on the customer, commitment to associates, and disciplined approach to execution are the perfect fit for Kroger," Sargent said.
Sargent was appointed as interim CEO of Kroger in March 2025 after an investigation into the previous CEO's personal conduct.
In a statement, Kroger pointed to Foran's experience at Walmart, where he "he accelerated Walmart's digital capabilities, introducing online ordering and pick up and driving meaningful retail media results".
It added Foran delivered positive comparable sales growth for 20 consecutive quarters while he managed more than 4600 stores and one million associates.
The company also noted his experience at Air New Zealand, where he "led an end-to-end digital transformation to improve the customer experience and make the business more agile".
"Foran guided the airline through significant disruption amid the pandemic, maintaining a focus on operational rigour and long-term resilience. Throughout his five years as CEO, he led complex union negotiations, managed multiple supply chain crises, and invested in fleet upgrades."
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