Kroger’s CEO Abruptly Resigns After Investigation Into Personal Conduct

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Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen resigned after an investigation discovered that his personal conduct was “inconsistent” with Kroger’s ethics policies.

Kroger last month revealed it was alerted of “certain personal conduct of McMullen.”

No details were revealed of what McMullen actions ere but Kroger’s did clearify it had nothing to do with “financial performance, operations or reporting, and it did not involve any Kroger associates.”

Here’s what CNN reported:

Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen is resigning immediately from the grocery store chain following an investigation that found his personal conduct was “inconsistent” with the company’s ethics policies.

Last month, Kroger said it was “made aware of certain personal conduct” of McMullen, prompting the board to conduct an investigation. No additional details about what it discovered was revealed, but the company said his conduct isn’t related to the company’s “financial performance, operations or reporting, and it did not involve any Kroger associates.”

Ronald Sargent, who’s been on Kroger’s board of directors since 2006, will serve as its interim CEO until a permanent replacement is named.

“As interim CEO, I am committed to working alongside our proven and experienced management team and dedicated associates to ensure Kroger continues providing exceptional value for our customers,” Sargent said in a press release Monday.

McMullen has been with Kroger for nearly five decades, first joining the company as a part-time stock clerk at a Kentucky location in 1978. He worked his way up at the company and has held several leadership positions including chief financial officer and was elected to the company’s board in 2003 and became the CEO in 2014.

Per AP:

Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen has resigned after an internal investigation into his personal conduct.

Kroger, the nation’s largest grocery chain, said Monday that the investigation into McMullen’s personal conduct was unrelated to the business, but was found to be inconsistent with its business ethics policy.

Board member Ronald Sargent will serve as chairman and interim CEO, effective immediately.

Sargent has been on Kroger’s board since 2006 and has served as the lead director of the company since 2017. He’s worked in several roles at the grocery chain across stores, sales, marketing, manufacturing and strategy. Sargent is also the former Chairman and CEO of Staples.



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