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Jennifer Smith has been named to Progressive Grocer’s 2020 Top Women in Grocery list. Based in Carlisle, Pa., she serves as Manager of A-Brands Sourcing for Retail Business Services, the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA.

In this role, Smith is responsible for providing key insights to guide the direction and lead negotiations for Ahold Delhaize USA’s local brand merchandising teams. Primarily supporting the Hannaford brand, Smith manages a team of sourcing analysts who provide cross-brand support, insights and strategic recommendations for Hannaford’s center store categories.

Named alongside three other women-leaders from Retail Business Services, Smith is recognized by Progressive Grocer for outstanding leadership capabilities and honorable achievements.

“I’m very humbled and proud to represent Retail Business Services in this award,” shared Smith. “There are amazing women doing such important things in our company and across the grocery retail industry, and it is truly an honor to be recognized with them.”

Smith joined the A-Brands Sourcing team in November 2019. She and her team work collaboratively with teams and brand partners across the portfolio to support brand-specific insights and tactics, leveraging size and scale of Ahold Delhaize USA while still driving local results and meeting needs of local markets. Leading contract management and coordination for the brands’ merchandising teams, Smith enjoys the opportunity to connect with diverse teams across Ahold Delhaize USA’s footprint.

Before this role, Smith led the Innovation & Technology team as an Assortment Services Manager the company. She started her career with the Ahold Delhaize USA organization in 2016 as a Merchandising Support Analyst for the former Ahold USA company. Before joining the company, she held roles of increasing responsibility with the Nielsen Company.

When it comes to professional growth, Smith’s strongest piece of advice is to not be afraid of change or taking risks

“Someone once told me to ‘get comfortable being uncomfortable,” said Smith. “Some of the best moves in my career have been things that I wasn’t planning on happening, so don’t shy away from change. Change can be scary, but it usually ends up giving you an amazing experience or something you didn’t realize you had a passion for.”

Smith currently serves as co-chair of Retail Business Services’ Women’s ‘Elevate’ Business Resource Group (BRG), which hosts mentoring circles, community outreach initiatives and events focused on allyship, women empowerment and growing diverse leadership. She values the leadership skills and connections that she continues to grow as a member of the BRG, and she appreciates the positive support and participation the group has received from many company leaders, women or allies, helping promote the group’s career and personal growth initiatives.

Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Penn. She lives near Carlisle, Pa., with her husband, Ben, their two children, Makenna and Owen, their black lab, Miley, and their four recently adopted chickens. In her free time, she loves baking. Her quarantine baking accomplishment is successfully baking bread with her homemade sourdough starter.