Austin, TX—John Mackey is no longer the only chief executive officer (CEO) of Whole Foods Market, based here. In mid-May, the chain’s board of directors voted to promote Walter Robb to the position of co-CEO, serving along side Mackey. Last December, Mackey gave up his title of chairman of the board.

Austin, TX—John Mackey is no longer the only chief executive officer (CEO) of Whole Foods Market, based here. In mid-May, the chain’s board of directors voted to promote Walter Robb to the position of co-CEO, serving along side Mackey. Last December, Mackey gave up his title of chairman of the board.

Robb has been the co-president and chief operating officer (COO) of Whole Foods since 2004, sharing the title with A.C. Gallo. Gallo will continue on as Whole Foods’ only president and COO, and Robb will also join the company’s board of directors.

On his blog, Mackey stated that the move was intended to “try to keep our very successful Executive Team (E-Team) together for at least another 10 years.” Mackey also noted that the change is more or less just in their titles (and Robb’s ability to vote at board meetings); the executive team members “will be doing exactly what he or she was doing prior to the change.” He also stated that the change was unrelated to any controversies that Mackey has found himself in recently such as his op-ed piece on healthcare for the Wall Street Journal.
 

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, July 2010 (published ahead of print on May 27, 2010)