Circana, a leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behaviour, has announced that Stuart Aitken has been named President and CEO effective 1 January 2025. He will succeed Kirk Perry, who will retire from his role as President and CEO at Circana and will continue to serve as a member of the Circana Board of Directors. Mr Aitken will also join the Board as a director.
Mr Aitken joins Circana from Kroger, where he has served as Chief Merchant and Marketing Officer since 2019. Mr Aitken helped to transform Kroger with a strong focus on people and culture, data and insights, and shopper transformation, leading to significant value creation for Kroger and its partners. He also developed a more customer centric approach to merchandising and marketing at Kroger with a focus on driving high margin digital revenue streams including data/analytics and retail-media.
Circana Board Chair Tod Johnson said: “As part of the company’s succession planning process, Kirk and the rest of the Circana Board have been focused on identifying the ideal candidate to lead Circana well into the future, and we are confident we have found that in Stuart.
“His passionate leadership, strategic and innovative mindset, and extensive experience across the retail, technology, and data/analytics industries will create value for our company, our people, and the clients we serve globally.”
Mr Aitken said: “I am grateful for the opportunity to join the Circana team and work together with colleagues across the globe to build upon Circana’s position as an industry leader. As a longtime partner to Circana, I have a deep appreciation for the power of its platform and critical role Circana plays across the consumer ecosystem. With best-in-class technology, data, and expertise, Circana will continue to drive growth and innovation across a wide breadth of global clients and industries.”
Mr Johnson said: “As CEO, Kirk helped spearhead the transformative merger between two world-class brands to create Circana as a leading advisor on consumer behavior across all retail and position the organization for sustained success. His focused dedication elevated both the client and employee experiences while delivering outstanding results year-over-year. On behalf of our Board, I thank Kirk for his leadership and ongoing commitment to Circana.”
Mr Perry said: “It has been a true honour to lead this organization through a transformative period in its history. I am proud of the remarkable progress we made over the past four years, and forever grateful to our talented teams, clients, and partners that made Circana what it is today. I am confident that Stuart is the right leader for Circana’s next stage of growth, and I look forward to working closely with him alongside the rest of our distinguished Board members.”