Publix appoints new chief information officer following executive retirements

Supermarket chain Publix has promoted Laurie Douglas to chief information and digital officer, Grocery Dive reported. The grocer also announced several executive promotions across its technology, industrial operations, and finance departments. According to Grocery Dive, these leadership changes were announced on Wednesday. [1]

Grocery Dive reported that the restructuring stems primarily from three executive retirements within the company. Steve Wellslager, vice president of IS technology and security, retired at the end of August after 38 years with the company. Renee, vice president of IS application development, also retired alongside a third executive from the industrial operations department. [1]

Publix is the largest employee-owned company in the United States by sales volume, employing more than 260,000 associates. The company reported retail sales of $62.7 billion for fiscal year 2025, which ended on December 27, 2025. This figure represents a 5% increase from $59.7 billion in fiscal year 2024. Net earnings reached $4.7 billion, up 2.1% from the prior year, while comparable store sales grew 3.5%. [3]

The executive transitions come as the retailer manages its ongoing technology operations and supply chain logistics. Grocery Dive noted that further executive reshuffling accompanied the leadership updates in the technology, finance, and industrial sectors. [1]