The newest member of Kroger's board of directors is no stranger to the company.
Ron Sargent, the chairman and CEO of Staples, spent 10 years working for Kroger in a variety of positions before moving to the office supply chain as its vice president of operations.
He steadily climbed the Staples corporate ladder from the time he joined the company in 1989. He was named CEO of the company in 2002 and was elected chairman in March 2005, replacing company founder Tom Stemberg.
Mr. Sargent currently also serves on the boards at Aramark, Mattel and The Yankee Candle Company in addition to his duties at Staples. His term on the Kroger board will last until June 2007 when he will stand for reelection.
Discussion Questions: What benefit or detriment to Kroger is there having an executive from another retail company on its board of directors? Separately, do you see a problem when an individual serves as a director on five different company boards as is the case with Ron Sargent?