CVS Vet Joins Albertsons as EVP and General Counsel
Albertsons has a new addition to the c-suite. The company named Tom Moriarty as its EVP and general counsel following the April departure of Juliette Pryor.
Moriarty, who officially comes on board June 5, will leverage more than three decades of leadership in his pending role at Albertsons Cos. He joins the grocer from CVS Health, where he served as EVP, chief policy and external affairs officer and general counsel.
During his tenure at CVS, he guided the company through its $78 billion acquisition of Aetna. That background will likely prove helpful at Albertsons, which is in the midst of a merger with The Kroger Co. and contending with accompanying legal and regulatory issues.
[Read more: Kroger, Albertsons CEOs Counter Myths About Merger"]
“Tom is a proven leader whose broad background and deep understanding of corporate and legal strategy make him a welcome addition to our talented leadership team,” said CEO Vivek Sankaran. “His experience leading high-performing teams and successfully implementing important strategic initiatives at top companies will be invaluable as we continue to execute on our Customers for Life strategy.”
Moriarty will report directly to Sankaran. “I am incredibly energized to be joining Albertsons Cos. at such a dynamic time for the industry,” Moriarty remarked. “One of the things that excites me most about this opportunity is the vital role that Albertsons Cos. plays in the communities it serves as a grocery and pharmacy retailer committed to its customers and their well-being.”
In addition to his decade-long stint at CVS Health, Moriarty worked in leadership roles for 12 years at Medco Health Solutions and played a key role in that company’s merger with Express Scripts. He is currently a board member at Northside Center for Child Development. He earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and received a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College.
Moriarty will hit the ground running at Albertsons. Consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest recently sent letters to the Federal Trade Commission calling for the agency to block the merger with Kroger. The retailers hope to complete that merger by 2024. Also this month, Albertsons and the Safeway banner agreed to pay $107 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit around contested “buy one get one” sales in Oregon, without admitting any wrongdoing.
Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons operates more than 2,200 retail stores in 34 states. The company is No. 9 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of top food and consumables retailers in North America. Serving 11 million customers daily through a digital shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names, Cincinnati-based Kroger is No. 4 on The PG 100. With its CVS Pharmacy subsidiary operating almost 10,000 locations nationwide, Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS Health is No. 7.
