Executives from PepsiCo, Topco and Walmart Join GS1 US Board of Governors

Industry Leaders to Help Guide the GS1 US Strategy to Support Members as They Navigate New Supply Chain Challenges

News provided by

May 20, 2020, 09:15 ET

EWING, N.J., May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GS1 US® has appointed the following executives to its Board of Governors: John S. Phillips, senior vice president, customer supply chain and go-to-market, PepsiCo, Inc.; Randall J. Skoda, president and CEO, Topco Associates LLC; and Steve Breen, senior vice president, enterprise inventory optimization, Walmart. Additionally, long-standing GS1 US Board of Governor members, John Inwright, president and chief executive officer, Wendy's Quality Supply Chain Co-op, Inc. and Dr. Susan D. Moffatt-Bruce, chief executive officer of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Canada, have been appointed chair and vice chair, respectively.

The executives join a diverse Board of Governors representing a cross-section of industries including apparel, general merchandise, retail grocery, foodservice and healthcare. They will help guide the GS1 US strategy to drive adoption and use of GS1 Standards that support supply chain visibility, product traceability, e-commerce operations, regulatory requirements and increased consumer demand for product information.

"These accomplished leaders have been pioneers of innovation within their respective organizations and industries," said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO. "Their vision will help GS1 US support our communities as they overcome persistent supply chain challenges and enable new business strategies in the face of constant disruption."

John Phillips is responsible for working with PepsiCo's largest customers on supply chain and collaboration initiatives to drive both effectiveness and efficiency across the shared supply chain. He also leads PepsiCo's go-to-market COE focused on global process and technology tools to optimize go-to-market systems. He has been with PepsiCo for over 33 years and has worked in a number of different sales and field operations roles since joining the company as a route salesperson with Frito-Lay. Prior to his current role, Phillips was vice president of customer delivery systems for Frito-Lay North America where he led the development and implementation of new DSD delivery systems and the development of the next generation of frontline hand-held computers for the DSD sales force. Before joining PepsiCo, he spent ten years in retail store operations with Jewel Food Stores in Chicago.

Randy Skoda leads the strategic vision at Topco Associates, LLC, a $14.5 billion, privately held, member-owned company that leverages the volume, commitment and knowledge of its collective partnership of regional retail grocers, wholesalers and pharmacies, to compete and thrive in an industry rife with national chains. Topco's extensive breadth of services and support span every aspect of their members' stores, including their own brands, member brands, meat programs, floral, health & wellness and indirect spend programs. Skoda has been a key member of Topco's management team for more than 13 years. Prior to his current role, Skoda served as executive vice president overseeing Topco's program management, product and brand development, innovation and indirect spend groups. He also held leadership positions with Old Town Partners, Sayers Group LLC and KPMG.

Steve Breen leads inventory flow and optimization across stores and e-commerce at Walmart. Since joining Walmart in 2007, Breen has held several leadership positions, including senior vice president of snacks and beverage, chief merchandising officer for Walmart Brazil and chief merchant for Walmart.com. Prior to his tenure at Walmart, Breen was a vice president at Abbott Laboratories and chief marketing officer at Molson Coors Brewing Co.

The GS1 US Board of Governors includes executives from 20 leading organizations, including: The Coca-Cola Company; Dot Foods; Google Store; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson & Johnson; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; PepsiCo, Inc.; The Procter & Gamble Company; Publix, Inc.; PVH Corp.; Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; Sysco Corporation; Target; Topco Associates LLC; Wakefern Food Corp.; Walmart; Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. and Wendy's Quality Supply Chain Co-op, Inc. The full list is available at www.gs1us.org/about-gs1-us/corporate/board-of-governors.

About GS1 US
GS1 US®, a member of GS1 global, is a not-for-profit information standards organization that facilitates industry collaboration to help improve supply chain visibility and efficiency through the use of GS1 Standards, the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world. Nearly 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading partner collaboration that optimizes their supply chains, drives cost performance and revenue growth, while also enabling regulatory compliance. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code (EPC®)-based RFID, data synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC®).

SOURCE GS1 US