Dive Brief:

• EG America, the U.S. subsidiary of convenience retailer EG Group, has named John Carey as CEO and president, effective Oct. 1, according to a Monday announcement.
• Carey has been a member of EG Group’s board since 2020 and previously held executive positions at BP and ADNOC Distribution. As the top decision maker for EG America, he will lead the company’s growth strategy in the U.S., according to the announcement.
• This concludes an extensive search for a new leader at EG America, which lasted for several months after its most recent president, George Fournier, stepped down last fall due to medical reasons.

Dive Insight:

It’s taken EG America nearly a year to find a permanent replacement for Fournier, who left the company last October and rejoined in May as senior vice president of supply chain. 

When Fournier left, EG America named its then chief financial officer, Caroline Taitelbaum, as interim president. There was no plan for Taitelbaum to assume the role permanently, a source said at the time. She left the company in July. Around this time, Nick Unkovic, chief legal and administrative officer for EG America, took over as interim president.

Unkovic will revert to his previous position once Carey takes over as CEO and president, according to Monday’s announcement.

Carey will also become an executive director of EG Group’s board during this time. As a result, EG Group will begin a search process to identify and appoint a new non-executive director to join the board, according to the announcement.

In addition to his position as an EG Group board member, Carey has decades of experience working in the convenience and oil and gas industries. He held executive positions with several companies, notably with BP, where he was CEO of Castrol's global B2B business encompassing the aviation, industrial, marine and energy businesses. He held the same role leading BP’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas business, including operations in the U.S for both companies. 

Carey was also deputy CEO for Asian retailer ADNOC Distribution between 2017 and 2019, according to his LinkedIn bio.

“John is the ideal leader to drive forward EG America’s proven strategy,” Zuber Issa, co-founder and co-CEO of EG Group, said in the announcement. “He has an excellent track record and knowledge of the sector, as well as a detailed understanding of the Group’s ambitious plans for EG America.”

Blackburn, U.K.-based EG Group currently has more than 5,500 c-stores across the U.S., U.K. and Ireland, Europe and Australia. EG America is EG Group’s largest operation globally, with 1,645 sites across 10 banners in 30 states, including Cumberland Farms, Fastrac, Kwik Shop and Tom Thumb.