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Mar 31, 2025

The Future of Acosta Group Starts with Great Leaders

Celebrating the First Graduates of our Harvard Strategic Leadership Program

The success of Acosta Group depends on visionary leadership—and we’re proud to celebrate a major milestone.

For the first time in our history, 50 leaders have completed the Harvard Strategic Leadership Program, a development initiative designed to cultivate top talent. These trailblazers are the problem solvers and change agents who will enhance the way we serve clients and customers across every facet of our business.

A World-Class Learning Experience

In partnership with Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning, this 16-week custom program offers an immersive journey, equipping high-performing leaders with the insights, strategies, and tools they need to thrive in enterprise leadership roles. Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning has long supported global organizations in accelerating leadership development, leveraging insights from Harvard Business School, Harvard Business Review, and top industry experts.

This initiative marks Acosta Group’s most significant investment in leadership development, requiring a 55-hour commitment to engage in live sessions, on-demand learning, and real-world simulations. Our accomplished senior leaders—spanning sales, business intelligence, IT, operations, and client development—are already applying these experiences to advance our organization.

“This program is an incredible opportunity for our senior leaders to refine their skills, collaborate, and prepare to guide Acosta Group’s future. Investing in our talent at this level strengthens our organization and positions us and our clients and customers for long-term success.”

Mike Van Aken

Chief People Officer

Meet the Inaugural Cohort

Acosta Group
Brian Cameron (EVP, CMO) | Bryan Chartrand (EVP, Business Development) | Christine Bell (Chief Operations Counsel) | Dan Meehan (EVP, IT) | Gregory Rosenau (VP, Business Intelligence) | Jillian Henninger (VP, Business Intelligence) | Kristina Kaidanovich (Sr. Director, Talent, Learning & Leadership Development) | Len Corpora (VP, Business Intelligence) | Rob James (SVP, Enterprise Business Solutions) | Jerron Nanneman (SVP, Target) | Subha Rajagopalan (SVP, Enterprise Applications) | Sara Andreoli (VP, Business Intelligence)

ActionLink
Tara Scherler (VP, Retail)

ADW
Todd Barnard (SVP, Sales)

CORE Foodservice
Deborah Tozier (VP, Customer Support) | Holly Shirey Friedland (VP, FS Corporate) | Jeremy Slaughter (SVP, Operational Finance) | Scott Ward (VP, Talent Enhancement) | Travis Coldiron (VP, Division) | Tricia Wind (VP, Client Management)

CROSSMARK
Sonia Hack (VP, Sales Operations)

FrontLine Marketing
Kelly Donohue (VP, Key Customer Development)

Mosaic
Angie Damron-Beene (SVP, Client Services) | Miah Gabreski (SVP, Client Growth)

Premium
Bryce Reagan (EVP/GM, In-Store Services) | Ian Evinou (SVP, Premium Canada) | John Drevlow (VP, In-Store Services) | Tom Maria (SVP, Strategic Accounts)

Reflections From our Graduates

“I have transitioned from thinking about being a change agent to creating a culture of innovation that empowers our employees to do their best work and achieve our objectives. This new perspective shifts innovation and change from my mission to a culture where everyone is working to achieve it. That’s powerful!”
Jeremy Slaughter, CORE SVP, Operational Finance

“The program reinforced the value of agility in leadership—balancing structure with adaptability. Even the best-laid plans need to evolve based on new information and market shifts. I want to instill this mindset, encouraging proactive problem-solving and a data-informed approach to enhance operational efficiencies, cross-functional collaboration, and long-term planning.”
Sara Andreoli, Acosta Group Canada VP, Business Intelligence

“It’s made me think about the big picture and not just focus on day-to-day tactics. I’m going to delegate more and really focus on leading. Successful leaders are great coaches and being a great coach is leading the team vs. trying to handle the tactics.”
Brennan Bayly, Acosta SVP, Ahold Delhaize

“The program challenged me to begin with the end in mind. If we don’t make a conscious effort to visualize who we are and what we want in our careers, teams, or personal lives, we allow other people and circumstances to shape us instead. Reflecting on the end requires us to build a roadmap. Visualization, planning, and goal setting ensure our actions align with our North Star objectives.”
Kelly Donohue, FrontLine Marketing VP, Customer Development

“This program has pushed me to think more expansively about my role as a leader—not just as someone who drives performance, but as someone who builds the environment where others can thrive and grow. It’s shifted my mindset from being results-driven to focusing on the systems, people, and culture that make great results sustainable. It helped me more intentionally focus on leading through complexity, inspiring others, and driving impact at scale.”
Sonia Hack, CROSSMARK VP, Sales Operations

A Future Built on Change Agents

Over the next two years, two additional cohorts of 50 leaders will participate in the Harvard Strategic Leadership Program, continuing our commitment to developing the next wave of enterprise leadership at Acosta Group.

In addition, in March 2025, we launched the Leadership Rotation Program (LRP)—a cross-functional experience designed to expand enterprise knowledge. Through rotations over ten months, role shadowing, client meetings, and field activations, 20 associates will deepen their expertise and prepare for expanded leadership opportunities.

We are proud of our first Harvard Strategic Leadership Program cohort and their dedication to growth. By fostering continuous learning, we ensure that Acosta Group will remain a leader in retail, sales, foodservice and marketing for years to come.

Explore more stories about our people, culture, and leadership development.