Dive Brief:
- Associated Wholesaler Grocers announced Wednesday that Kelly Kauffman is joining the company to serve as its chief financial officer, effective July 20.
- Kauffman brings financial leadership experience from BJ’s Wholesale Club and Whole Foods Market. He succeeds company veteran Gary Koch, who is retiring at the end of 2026 after more than three decades with AWG.
- Kaufmann’s appointment follows AWG’s announcement in April that it had named a new COO.
Dive Insight:
Kauffman’s career has centered on financial roles at companies in the retail, food and financial services industries.
Kauffman served most recently as BJ’s senior vice president of financial planning and analysis. During his nearly two years in the role, Kauffman led corporate financial planning and analysis across multiple financial disciplines and modernized the club retailer’s forecasting and reporting by implementing new planning systems, according to AWG.
Kauffman also worked for Whole Foods for more than a decade, holding several vice president roles, per his LinkedIn profile. As vice president of finance, his final position with the specialty grocer, Kauffman oversaw global financial planning and analysis, managed annual and long-term financial planning and spearheaded operational improvements, according to AWG. The announcement also noted that he helped develop the financial modeling that supported Whole Foods’ sale to Amazon.
“Kelly is a proven finance leader with a strong track record of driving performance, improving processes, and building high-performing teams,” AWG President and CEO Dan Funk said in a statement. “His experience in retail, coupled with his ability to lead transformation and strengthen financial operations, makes him an excellent fit for AWG as we continue to grow and support our members.”
Between his time at Whole Foods and BJ’s, Kauffman worked as managing director of advisory services for business consulting and services company Fadmoor, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Kauffman’s career also includes corporate finance and audit roles at Ezcorp, Pamida, Cabela’s, Nestle USA and Grant Thornton, AWG noted.
Koch has served as CFO for AWG since early 2015 and has spent the majority of his career with the company, joining AWG in 1995 as director of financial accounting.
AWG has been busy this year. Joe Kelley joined the company from Kroger in early May as chief operating officer. He is tasked with overseeing merchandising, procurement, distribution, sales, marketing and division support center operations.
Aside from C-suite appointments, AWG’s 2026 has been defined by adding an array of private label goods, introducing an artificial intelligence-powered shopping assistant and investing millions to modernize a distribution center.
