<p> Kroger has announced that Christine S. Wheatley, the company’s Vice President, Senior Counsel, and Assistant Secretary, will be named Secretary and General Counsel, effective upon the retirement of Paul W. Heldman in the spring 2014, as part of the company’s succession plan. Kroger expects its Board of Directors to elect Wheatley as secretary and general counsel at a future board meeting.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Heldman, a 31-year Kroger veteran, has served as the company’s general counsel since 1989, secretary since 1992, and executive vice president since 2006. He worked alongside other leaders to help Kroger avoid a leveraged buyout attempt in 1988 and to implement a restructuring a recapitalization effort that allowed Kroger to remain a public company while rewarding shareholders and expanding the availability of stock options to associates; and he was a key leader on the team that executed Kroger’s merger with Fred Meyer, Inc. in 1999 to establish the nation’s largest grocery company, according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> “Paul’s contributions to our company during his 31-year career are quite remarkable,” said David Dillon, Kroger’s chairman and CEO. “He has been a trusted advisor and exceptional leader, providing outstanding guidance for our leadership team when we needed it most. We wish Paul, his wife Debbie, and their family all the best.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Wheatley, who has been involved in the private practice of law for 11 years, joined Kroger in 2008 as corporate counsel, eventually becoming senior counsel in 2011 and vice president in 2012. She will report directly to Rodney McMullen, who will become Kroger’s CEO in January.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> “Christine has been instrumental in leading Kroger’s business law group as well as the company’s legal affairs,” said McMullen. “Her passion and dedication to our company is evident in all that she does, and she will be a great asset to our senior leadership team. We thank Paul for his many years of dedicated service and for developing such a strong succession plan.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Congratulations on your new, upcoming position at Kroger, Christine! And thank you for all you brought to Kroger, Paul!</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://ir.kroger.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=106409&p=irol-irhome" target="_new"> Kroger </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
