By Andy Young
The former CEO of Lion, Rob Murray, has been appointed to the board of directors at Metcash, and is expected to take over as chairman in August.
Murray was chief executive at Lion from 2004 to 2012, overseeing the takeover by Kirin and subsequent merger with National Foods. He is due to take over from Peter Barnes as the chairman of Metcash after the company's annual general meeting in August.
Barnes welcomed Murray to Metcash saying: "It is with great pleasure that I welcome Rob to our company. With considerable and broad based sector experience, including as former CEO of Lion and also Nestle Oceania, Rob's expertise, especially in retail, FMCG and his in-depth understanding of consumers will be a great asset to Metcash as we continue the company's transformation journey."
Barnes added: "It is my stated intention to retire from Metcash during my current term and I have advised the board that I will do so at the conclusion of the 2015 AGM.
"Rob will spend the next four months as a non-executive director before assuming the role of chairman following the 2015 AGM."
Murray is also chairman of consumer electronics retailer Dick Smith and is a non-executive director of Southern Cross Austereo, and logistics company Linfox.