Ahold Delhaize has appointed Margaret Versteden-van Duijn as Chief Executive Officer of its Europe and Indonesia business and a member of the group Management Board. The company announced the appointment on 27 August 2026, with the role due to take effect on 1 October 2026 subject to approval by shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting.
In the position, Margaret Versteden-van Duijn will oversee one of the two operating pillars of the Dutch food retail group, spanning its supermarket brands across Europe together with its Indonesian operations. Ahold Delhaize is one of the largest food retailers in the world by revenue, and its European and Indonesian portfolio includes long established names such as Albert Heijn in the Netherlands alongside brands in Belgium, central and southeastern Europe and Asia.
The Europe and Indonesia segment sits at the centre of the group's strategy, combining mature Western European markets with faster growing positions further afield. Its leader carries responsibility for a network of physical stores and a rapidly expanding online grocery business, and for the private label and pricing decisions that shape how the group competes as household budgets stay under pressure.
Her elevation to the Management Board places her among the small group of executives who set direction for the entire company, reporting into the chief executive of the group. Ahold Delhaize has framed leadership continuity and disciplined execution as priorities as it pursues its multi year plan to grow sales, defend margins and invest in digital and logistics capacity across its markets.
The appointment follows the group's practice of putting segment leadership before shareholders for formal approval, a governance step that reflects the seniority of the role and its seat on the board. Until the extraordinary general meeting confirms the appointment, the change remains subject to that vote, after which she formally assumes the mandate.
European food retail has become a demanding arena, with grocers balancing price investment against cost inflation, building out delivery and collection, and defending share against discounters. The leader of the group's European and Indonesian business inherits both the scale to compete and the pressure to keep improving productivity while holding customer loyalty.
For Ahold Delhaize, the appointment settles leadership of a core part of the group at a moment when the balance between store investment, online growth and profitability defines performance. Margaret Versteden-van Duijn takes on a mandate that will be measured on sales momentum, margin resilience and the continued build out of the group's digital grocery offer across a broad set of markets.
