Amazon forms new grocery leadership board to strengthen Whole Foods integration
June 12, 2025
Amazon forms new grocery leadership board to strengthen Whole Foods integration
3 Min Read
The team includes seven core business areas.Shutterstock
Jason Buechel took charge of Amazon’s grocery business in January, and he now has a leadership team to support him, according to reporting from Business Insider.
A leaked memo obtained by Business Insider reveals that Buechel has formed a grocery board composed of several executives from Whole Foods and Amazon. Buechel previously served as CEO of Whole Foods before being named the head of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores (WWGS).
The team includes seven core business areas, Business Insider reported, such as technology, operations, and marketing.
“We have a successful and growing grocery business that spans fresh groceries, pantry staples, and everyday household goods, both online and in our stores,” said Amazon Spokesperson Lauren Snyder in an emailed statement to Supermarket News. “To make it even easier to collaborate and innovate on behalf of our customers, we’re continuing to unify teams across our grocery brands. These changes reflect our long-term commitment to making grocery shopping easier, faster, and more affordable for customers.”
The new leadership group is part of a broader strategy to strengthen the connection between Whole Foods and Amazon. Whole Foods’ corporate staff will now be included in Amazon’s employee programs and will follow the company’s pay structure and performance review process.
However, Whole Foods’ warehouse and in-store employees will not be affected by this change.
“Too frequently we are duplicating efforts and missing easy opportunities for efficiency,” Buechel wrote in the email obtained by Business Insider. “We have a big opportunity to work smarter across teams and simplify how we approach shared needs.”
This marks the second reorganization of Amazon’s grocery division this year. In March, the company restructured its corporate teams for grocery and convenience store brands and laid off some employees working for the Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go chains.
Seattle-based Amazon created the WWGS organization in 2022, roughly two years after launching its first Amazon Fresh grocery store and five years after acquiring Whole Foods.
The following individuals have been appointed to the inaugural grocery board:
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Anand Varadarajan, VP of WWGS Product and Technology, will lead Worldwide Grocery Technology and Supply Chain
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Bill Jordan, Whole Foods EVP of Operations, will oversee Worldwide Grocery Store Operations
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Christina Minardi, Whole Foods EVP of Growth and Development, will lead Worldwide Grocery Real Estate Growth and Development
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Ganesh Rao, VP of Amazon Fresh International, will manage Amazon Fresh International and Grocery Partnerships
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Karen Christensen, Whole Foods SVP of Merchandising, will oversee North America Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go
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Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Whole Foods chief merchandising and marketing officer, will lead Worldwide Grocery Marketing & Private Brands and the Whole Foods Market business
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Vishy Subramanian, VP of Amazon Grocery Logistics, will lead Amazon Grocery Logistics
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Astu Patel, senior manager of Product and Engineering, will serve as business operations manager
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Kim Wells, senior director of Growth and Innovation, will lead Strategic Retail Initiatives
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Amy O’Hay, VP of PXT Worldwide Grocery Stores, will head Human Resources
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Heather Stern, Whole Foods SVP of Legal Affairs, will oversee Legal
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Keith Manbeck, VP of Finance, will lead Finance for the group
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Kristen Kish, director of communications, will lead Public Relations
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