Blog

Tara Ponnett has been named to Progressive Grocer’s 2020 Top Women in Grocery list. Based in Carlisle, Penn., she serves as Vice President of Sourcing for Retail Business Services, the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA.

As VP of Sourcing, Ponnett shapes sourcing strategies to develop and build organizational capacity within sourcing in order to save for great local brands and their customers through buying better and operating smarter. As part of this, she and her team play a key leadership role in the development of the vendor negotiations process, which is beginning this month. New this year, she and her team have launched a new two-part negotiations process, which includes local vendor negotiations and a new collaborative ask, which will take place later this summer, and streamlines formerly disparate asks of suppliers into a single conversation aimed at driving mutual business growth. This work supports both the U.S. companies’ transformation to a fully implemented self-distribution supply chain model of the future and the local brands’ ambitions to become leading omnichannel retailers. 

“This honor is very exciting, and I am proud of this recognition for the work that I’ve done over the last year. I also view it as recognition for the great team I work with and the support I have at home from my family,” shared Ponnett. “Their passion, engagement, and sense of purpose is inspiring.”

Ponnett’s team works to maintain integration synergy savings by partnering with the brands to drive continuous improvement and innovation to help secure the lowest cost for goods. She loves sourcing’s role in discovering new, innovative ways for the brands to partner together and leveraging size and scale to move the businesses forward

“For me, sourcing is not about just getting the best cost,” she noted. “We are truly focused on our partnership with the brands and providing value to the organization. We want to win together as one team.”

With an extensive background in grocery retail, Tara has served 14 years with companies of Ahold Delhaize USA. Most recently, she served as VP of Assortment Services for Retail Business Services. Before this, she held roles of increasing responsibility in Negotiation Strategy and Merchandising with Ahold USA and The GIANT Company.

Additionally, Ponnett serves as the Executive Sponsor of Retail Business Services’ Women’s Business Resource Group (BRG), which hosts mentoring circles, community outreach initiatives and events focused on allyship, women empowerment and growing diverse leadership. She’s also an active member, mentor and advocate for the Network of Executive Women (NEW).

“We have made a meaningful cultural shift in not only celebrating the strengths and accomplishments of women, but in recognizing that diversity in all aspects brings with it new and better ideas,” she said. “The company believes in diversity and inclusion. We have made strides forward in greater parental leave, flexible work policies, business resource group resources and opportunities, and more.”

Ponnett holds an MBA in Finance from Saint Francis University, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University. She lives in Middletown, Penn., with her husband, John, and their four children: John, Zachary, Aiden and Olivia. Outside of work, she frequently volunteers with local community organizations, including the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, the Ronald McDonald House, and she coaches her son’s t-ball team.