Dive Brief:

• Arko Corp., parent company of GPM Investments, has named Galagher Jeff executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Dec. 1, according to a Monday announcement from the company. 
• Jeff resigned as CFO of convenience retailer Murphy USA in October. While he left after a financially turbulent year for Murphy, the company noted the split was “not the result of any disagreement” between the two parties.
• He succeeds Rob Giammatteo, who left Arko in October to “pursue a new opportunity outside the convenience store sector.”

Dive Insight:

Jeff joins Arko amid the company’s transformation plan that includes converting some underperforming stores to dealer sites and increasing its focus on food. The latter has featured the rollout of a new store design centered around Arko’s Fas Craves foodservice program. 

“Mr. Jeff’s tenured career in strategy and finance in multiple leadership roles, and his convenience store and retail experience, will augment an already strong ARKO team,” said Arie Kotler, chairman, president and CEO of Arko. 

Before joining Murphy as CFO in early 2024, Jeff worked for nearly a year as senior vice president of finance and strategy and chief transformation officer for discount retailer Dollar Tree. Before that, he spent more than three years in finance roles with car parts retailer Advance Auto Parts, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also served for more than a decade in a number of roles with Walmart, including more than two years as VP and CFO of the company’s e-commerce arm. 

“I see tremendous opportunity for [Arko] as it continues to execute on its multi-year transformation plan, supported by its ongoing channel optimization work and execution of organic growth initiatives,” said Jeff in the announcement.

In connection with his appointment, Jeff, 54, will be paid an annual base salary of $650,000, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Jordan Mann, SVP of corporate strategy, capital markets and investor relations, had been serving as interim CFO since shortly after Giammatteo’s departure. 

In the announcement, Kotler thanked Mann for “successfully providing a seamless transition for the Company during our CFO search” and for “supporting Galagher as he joins the ARKO family.”