United Natural Foods, Inc. has hired Erin Horvath as chief supply chain transformation officer, a new role that will collaborate across functions to help build UNFI’s transformation agenda and future capabilities, drive value creation for shareholders, and create an improving experience for customers and suppliers. She began her role on Oct. 17 and reports to Sandy Douglas, UNFI’s chief executive officer.
“As we work to be the most valuable partner to our grocery retailer customers, we must continue evolving our supply chain network, leveraging automation, creating new efficiencies and capabilities within our facilities, and using technology, data, and insights to improve our customer experience,” Douglas said. “Erin has a wealth of experience, including a unique combination of strategy execution, operations, customer analytics, and software implementation. Throughout her career she has successfully worked across teams and departments and I’m looking forward to seeing how her experience and fresh thinking can best support Mark Bushway, our chief supply chain officer, and Louis Martin, our chief strategy and transformation officer, as they partner together to drive positive results.”
Since assuming the CEO role in August 2021, Douglas has repositioned UNFI’s senior leadership team and sharpened the C\company’s focus on key operational priorities designed to better support its customers, suppliers, associates and the planet. The addition of Horvath to UNFI’s leadership team supports the company’s focus on continuous improvement, and its ongoing work to create a more efficient, expansive, and high-quality food supply network.
“UNFI has a tremendous history and foundation in place, coupled with an exciting growth roadmap that is both aggressive and achievable,” Horvath said. “The food industry, like many industries, is experiencing significant change. UNFI’s focus on, and investment in, advancing technologies and transforming operations is a testament to leadership’s commitment to a long-term strategy that will best support customers and suppliers within this evolving landscape.”
Horvath will oversee UNFI’s fulfillment network transformation, as well lead automation initiatives, including the recently announced automation agreement with Symbotic. Her work will support the company’s long-term strategy, leveraging her 17 years of experience garnered at AmerisourceBergen Corporation, a more than $200 billion global pharmaceutical wholesale company.
During her tenure at AmerisourceBergen, Horvath most recently served as chief transformation officer with a focus on accelerating the company’s high-growth, high-value subsidiaries, strategic partnerships, and mergers and acquisition activities. She also has extensive experience leading AmerisourceBergen’s distribution network in roles as president, distribution services (2019-2021) and senior vice president, distribution services (2017-2019) overseeing a team of over 5,000 associates and managing more than 50 distribution centers.
During this time, she designed a five-year distribution and customer operations strategy, led the building of several new state-of-the-art greenfield distribution centers, and created a diverse, cross functional and geographically dispersed team focused on optimizing the company’s investment in its warehouse automation. She also spent time in senior leadership roles overseeing replenishment, continuous improvement, and commercial operations.
Prior to working with AmerisourceBergen, Horvath served as a management consultant at Smart and Associates, a business consulting firm, and at Arthur Andersen Business Consulting, and garnered foundational experience in distribution and operations at McMaster-Carr Supply Company and the U.S. Department of the Navy as a contract specialist.
Horvath serves as a board member for the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation, and recently completed service for Healthcare Ready where she served as a board member for four years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from George Washington University and an MBA from Villanova University.
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