Chris West to head AVB’s Canadian affiliate effective next month
By Alan Wolf, YSN
BrandSource Canadian affiliate Mega Group has appointed a new president/CEO.
Chris West, the former merchandising senior VP at Lowe’s Canada, will assume the buying group’s top spot on Nov. 7, succeeding interim CEO Kevin Leier.
West brings a diverse retail background to Mega and its BrandSource Canada members that encompasses such disciplines as merchandising, supply chain, global sourcing and private-label development. Besides his nearly three-year stint as Lowe’s Canada’s top merchant, West served as commercial operations VP at Asda, the British supermarket chain, and spent almost seven years at Walmart Canada as VP of sourcing and product development.
In announcing the appointment, Mega board chairman Richard Wall pointed to West’s ten-year tenure at Canadian Tire, where he “learned the value of collaborative relationships necessary to successfully navigate a dealer-based structure.”
In his new role, West will be responsible for achieving Mega’s strategic, operational and financial objectives in accordance with the board’s policies, and for providing “strong, effective and highly visible leadership to the group’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and Senior Leadership Team (SLT),” Wall wrote.
West’s appointment follows the departure of Kim Yost, the former CEO of now defunct furniture chain Art Van, who came out of retirement in 2019 to lead the buying group. Leier, who heads Mega’s financial services unit, steered the group during the executive search and transition.
“We are committed to Mega’s evolution and are confident that we have found the right leader that will continue to deliver on the success of our strategic plan,” Wall said.
