SpartanNash Announces Board Refreshment; Appoints Three New Independent Directors

Food solutions company SpartanNash today announced that, following a comprehensive board refreshment process, three new independent directors, Julien Mininberg, Jaymin Patel and Pamela Puryear, Ph.D., have been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), effective immediately.

“Since last summer, our Board has undertaken a deliberate and thorough refreshment process, with the assistance of a leading executive search firm, to ensure the Board continues to have the right combination of skills, experience and diversity to oversee value creation for shareholders,” said SpartanNash Board of Directors Chairman Douglas Hacker. “This process culminated with the identification of three terrific independent directors in Julien, Jaymin and Pamela, whose complementary skills will help support the Company’s continued growth. 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. Julien, CEO of Helen of Troy Corporation, has more than 30 years of consumer products experience for multi-national organizations and Jaymin, executive chairman of Cloud Agronomics Inc. and president and CFO of Clarim Acquisition Corp., has significant transformation expertise, with a financial and technology focused background. Pamela, former evp and global chief human resources officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance, is a nationally recognized leader in human resources, with a strong track record of leading culture transformation. We look forward to benefiting from Julien’s, Jaymin’s and Pamela’s insights and leadership.”

“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,” said SpartanNash President and CEO Tony Sarsam. “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.”

SpartanNash 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.

“I would like to thank Frank, Yvonne and Beth for their tremendous contributions and years of service as directors of SpartanNash,” added Hacker. “Each of them has not only provided valuable insights and guidance during their tenure on the Board, but more recently helped to provide stability and continuity throughout the pandemic and as we brought on a new management team to develop and implement a new strategy for the Company. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”

New Independent Directors

Julien Mininberg

Mininberg said, “I am excited to join the Board during this pivotal time in the Company’s history. I look forward to leveraging my experience leading businesses, building brands and transforming organizations, as we work together toward achieving a vision in which customers say they can’t live without SpartanNash.”

Mininberg has a 30-year track record of building market-leading multinational brands and organizations, operating expertise and seasoned leadership skills. He currently serves as 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 CEO and President of Kaz Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Helen of Troy. Before joining Kaz, Mininberg spent 15 years at The Procter & Gamble Company, 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. Mininberg is a Director of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ: HELE). He also currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Yale School of Management, has served as President of its global alumni association Board of Directors and was recently recognized with Yale Alumni Association’s 2021 Leadership Award.

Jaymin Patel

Patel said, “I am honored to have this opportunity to serve on the Board during this transformative period for SpartanNash. With my supply chain and technology solutions expertise, I am eager to support the Company as it continues to implement its network optimization program and build on its customer-focused innovation.”

Patel is a proven leader with global operating experience who has consistently driven high performance in gaming, technology platform and supply chain businesses. He is President & CFO of Clarim Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. In addition, he is the Executive Chairman of Cloud Agronomics Inc., a leading 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 Corporation, a global wireless device services company owned by SoftBank at the time. For more than two decades, he served in various executive and financial leadership roles at GTECH (now IGT), including as President and CEO of GTECH Corporation, from 2007 to 2015 and as Senior Vice President and CFO of the publicly traded GTECH Holdings Corporation from 2000 to 2006. He currently serves as an independent Director of Bally’s Corporation (NYSE: BALY) and as a Director of Clarim Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: CLRM). Patel is also Chairman of the Foundation Board of the Community College of Rhode Island.

Pamela Puryear, Ph.D.

Dr. Puryear said, “It is with great enthusiasm that I join the Board of SpartanNash as the Company continues on its transformation journey. People are the foundation of any strong organization, and I look forward to contributing my expertise in human capital as the Board and management build upon SpartanNash’s People First culture.”

Dr. Puryear has a strong track record of driving value creation through her expertise in human capital management, organizational transformation, innovation and operational excellence. She most recently served as Executive Vice President, Global Chief Human Resources Officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance, a Fortune 20 global leader in retail pharmacy. Previously, she has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Zimmer Biomet, a leader in musculoskeletal healthcare, where she partnered with the executive team on a successful transformation following the merger of Zimmer and Biomet. Prior to joining Zimmer Biomet, she served as Senior Vice President, Chief Talent Officer at Pfizer Inc., a global pharmaceutical company. She began her career in financial services and later launched an independent organization development consulting practice working with clients in a number of industries, including healthcare, consumer products and insurance. Dr. Puryear was most recently honored as one of the 2021 “Elite 100” from Diversity Woman Magazine. She currently serves as an independent Director of NextGen Healthcare (NASDAQ: NXGN), Standard Motor Products Inc. (NYSE: SMP) and Rockley Photonics Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: RKLY).