Grupo Pão de Açúcar (GPA) said Monday it appointed Alexandre Santoro CEO of what is one of Brazil’s oldest retailers.
He succeeds Rafael Russowsky, who was had been serving as interim CEO since the resignation of Marcelo Pimentel in October.
Santoro joins the firm after almost five years at the helm of Brazilian master franchiser International Meal Company (IMC). He will be replaced at IMC on an interim basis by the company’s CFO Natália Lacava.
Santoro is an experienced professional who is expected to bring rigor both in retail activities and cost management, a company source told LatinFinance.
He previously spent 13 years at Brazilian railway company América Latina LogÃstica, including two years as CEO, before moving to US franchiser Restaurant Brands International.
IMC holds the franchise of Pizza Hut and other local brands in Brazil. It sold the Brazilian KFC franchise of to Kentucky Foods Chile last year.