Editor’s note: This story is developing and will be updated.
Dive Brief:
- Brian Monahan, the head of Albertsons’ retail media division, has left the company, Albertsons confirmed to Grocery Dive on Monday.
- Monahan served as senior vice president of Albertsons Media Collective for just over a year. Albertsons stated its retail media division will now report to Chief Marketing Officer Emily Turner.
- Monahan’s departure, which was first reported by Adweek, comes as Albertsons looks to remain a leader in retail media innovation and improve declining comparable-store sales.
Dive Insight:
Monahan’s departure is the latest in a string of changes at Albertsons. In the last three months, the company has restructured its operating model, expanded its board of directors by four members, announced that its CFO is retiring and named an interim CFO.
Monahan joined Albertsons Media Collective in July 2025, succeeding Kristi Argyilan, who stepped down in December 2024.
During Monahan’s 15 months at the helm of Albertsons’ retail media business, the grocer launched branded entertainment and introduced sponsored product placement into its artificial-intelligence-powered conversational search tool. The retailer also debuted an in-store incrementality measurement, which gauges how in-store media impacts incremental sales.
“Brian played a key role in building Albertsons Media Collective into an important and growing part of our business. We thank him for his leadership and contributions and wish him continued success,” an Albertsons spokesperson wrote in an email.
Monahan was hired to continue Albertsons’ retail media innovation momentum as well as advance the company’s “Customers for Life” strategy, which emphasizes deeper relationships with consumers regardless of where they shop, and accelerate the growth of Albertsons Media Collective, Albertsons said when announcing Monahan’s appointment.
Prior to joining Albertsons, Monahan worked for Dentsu, Pinterest and Walmart.
Albertsons has added technology expertise to its board of directors at the same time as it has undergone significant operational and executive changes.
Last month, Albertsons brought on former technology industry CEO Meg Whitman as its first-ever executive chair. Whitman, who previously served as CEO of eBay and Hewlett-Packard, will serve as an operations and strategic advisor to Albertsons CEO Susan Morris. Morris noted that Whitman’s experience will benefit the company’s ongoing work in implementing AI and creating a more consistent online and in-store customer experience.
Albertsons also recently added Chris Drumgoole, chief operating officer of Aligned Data Centers, to its board.
