SpartanNash Appoints Three New Independent Directors

Grand Rapids-based food solutions company SpartanNash, which had $9.3 billion in net sales in 2020, has appointed three new independent directors, Julien Mininberg, Jaymin Patel, and Pamela Puryear, effective immediately.
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Grand Rapids-based food solutions company SpartanNash has appointed Julien Miniberg, Jaymin Patel, and Pamela Puryear as independent directors. // Courtesy of SpartanNash
Grand Rapids-based food solutions company SpartanNash has appointed Julien Miniberg, Jaymin Patel, and Pamela Puryear as independent directors. // Courtesy of SpartanNash

Grand Rapids-based food solutions company SpartanNash, which had $9.3 billion in net sales in 2020, has appointed three new independent directors, Julien Mininberg, Jaymin Patel, and Pamela Puryear, effective immediately.

The appointments were the culmination of what the company is calling a “refreshment process” to ensure the board has the “right combination of skills, experience, and diversity to oversee value creation for shareholders,” according to Douglas Hacker, chairman of the SpartanNash Board of Directors.

“These individuals collectively bring valuable experience leading or serving on boards of public companies, along with expertise directly relevant to advancing SpartanNash’s strategic objectives,” Hacker says.

Mininberg is CEO of Helen of Troy Limited, a global developer, marketer, and distributor of consumer products. Prior to assuming that role in 2014, he served as president and CEO of Kaz Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Helen of Troy. Before joining Kaz, Mininberg spent 15 years at The Procter & Gamble Co., where he served an equal amount of time in the United States and Latin America in a variety of general management and marketing leadership roles.

Patel is president and CFO of Clarim Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. In addition, he is the executive chairman of Cloud Agronomics Inc., a platform for soil carbon measurement using remote sensing technologies to underpin carbon credit offset markets. From 2015 to 2018, Patel was CEO and director of Brightstar Corp., a global wireless device services company owned by SoftBank at the time. He currently serves as an independent Director of Bally’s Corp. and as a director of Clarim Acquisition Corp. Patel also is chairman of the Foundation Board of the Community College of Rhode Island.

Puryear currently serves as an independent director of NextGen Healthcare Inc., Standard Motor Products Inc., and Rockley Photonics Holdings Ltd. She has served as executive vice president and global chief human resources officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Zimmer Biomet, a leader in musculoskeletal health care.

“As we continue to execute our strategy, SpartanNash remains focused on our priorities of creating a People First culture, elevating execution, delivering the promise to transform our supply chain, acting on insights to optimize customer and product portfolios, and launching customer-centric, innovative solutions,” says Tony Sarsam, president of SpartanNash. “Along with the rest of the board, I look forward to benefiting from the experience and fresh perspectives Julien, Jaymin, and Pamela offer as we work to deliver profitable growth and enhance the value we bring to our shareholders, associates, customers, and other stakeholders.”

The company also announced that current board members Frank Gambino, Yvonne Jackson, and Elizabeth Nickels will not be seeking reelection as SpartanNash directors. As a result, following the 2022 annual meeting, the SpartanNash board will comprise nine directors, eight of whom are independent and five of whom have been appointed in the last four years.