Dive Brief:
- Circle K parent company Alimentation Couche-Tard has named Alex Miller its chief operating officer, effective Jan. 2, 2023, according to a Tuesday announcement.
- As COO, Miller will be responsible for translating Couche-Tard’s strategic vision into action to drive revenue and operating efficiency while keeping expenses down, according to the announcement.
- Miller is Couche-Tard’s first COO. By adding that position, Couche-Tard is combining its operational reporting lines, which will lead to “further synergies and learnings at the core of our business,” president and CEO Brian Hannasch said in the announcement.
Dive Insight:
Miller has been with Couche-Tard since 2012, first joining the company as director of fuels, real estate and facilities, according to the company’s website. Over the past decade, he’s also held positions including senior vice president of operations and global fuels; vice president of fuels; and executive vice president of commercial optimization. He’s held his most recent title — executive vice president of North America operations and global commercial optimization — since March 2021.
As COO, Miller will continue reporting to Hannasch as he oversees Couche-Tard’s North America, Europe and Asia operations, including its food program, merchandise procurement and supply chain activities, according to the announcement.
“Alex is uniquely positioned to take on this new role with his impressive leadership experience in convenience and fuel operations as well as his extensive contributions growing the business across all our geographies,” Hannasch said in the announcement.
Before joining Couche-Tard, Miller worked for BP for 16 years in a variety of operational, supply, business development and strategy roles in the U.S. and Europe.
Laval, Quebec-based Couche-Tard operates more than 9,000 c-stores in North America — including over 7,000 in the U.S. — under the Circle K, Holiday Stationstores and Couche-Tard banners. It is the second-largest c-store company in the continent behind 7-Eleven.