Todd Jones, a former Publix Super Markets bagger who became the employee-owned grocer’s CEO in 2016, will leave his post on Jan. 1, while current President Kevin Murphy will be elevated to chief executive officer, Publix has announced.
Publix SVP John Goff will be promoted to president.
Jones, who has been with Publix for 43 years, will become executive chairman. The board’s current chairman, Ed Crenshaw, will remain on the Publix board as chairman emeritus.
“Todd has been an outstanding leader,” Crenshaw said in a statement. “He has been committed to continuing Publix’s success and passionate about the development and promotion of our associates. We’re pleased he will continue to provide leadership to our company as executive chairman.”
Jones was elevated to store manager in 1988, became a district manager in 1997 and, two years later, was named regional director for Publix. He became vice president of the Jacksonville division for the Lakeland, Florida-based grocer in 2003 and SVP of product business development in 2005.
Jones was named president of Publix in 2008, CEO and president in 2016, and CEO in 2019.
“We are delighted to have leaders with the experience of Kevin and John who are ready to take the next steps in their careers,” Jones said. “I am confident in their ability to lead our company into the future and to continue to make Publix a great place to shop for our customers and a great place to work for our associates.”