Dirk Van den Berghe named new CEO of Walmart Canada

Walmart Canada has found a new CEO to fill Shelley Broader’s shoes.

The retailer announced today the appointment of Dirk Van den Berghe as new president and CEO. He starts August 1.

Van den Berghe has extensive international experience in the food industry.

He was most recently CEO of Delhaize Group, a global food retailer with operations in eight countries and three continents. Its American holdings include Food Lion and Hannaford Brothers.

He and his family will relocate from Belgium to Toronto.

Van den Berghe also spent over two decades teaching international business at universities across Europe, Asia and the United States, and more than a decade of experience as an international trade commissioner for the Government of Belgium. According to Walmart, he speaks seven languages, including English, French and Dutch.

READ: Walmart Canada president gets global gig

Van den Berghe will report directly to Broader.

Walmart Canada announced in May that Broader has been promoted to executive vice-president, president and CEO of Europe, the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and Canada. She began the new role earlier this month.

“Under Dirk’s leadership, Delhaize has been successful in several different countries, and his vast experience will allow us to strengthen our growing food business in Canada and complements our highly successful general merchandise operation,” said Broader in a statement. “One of Walmart’s greatest strengths is having exceptional leaders to drive our continued growth, and Dirk is a prime example of that.”

It's worth noting that before joining Walmart, Broader too spent time with Delhaize. She started in the grocery business at Hannaford Brothers in New England before it was bought by Delhaize in 2000. She later ran Delhaize's Sweetbay Supermarket chain in Florida.

Van den Berghe will oversee Walmart’s 391 Canadian stores as well as its online business at Walmart.ca