National Association of Professional Women Inducts Joanne Leonardi, Healthcare Category Lead at Ahold USA Into its VIP Woman of the Year Circle
Garden City, NY (PRWEB) June 30, 2015 -- The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) honors Joanne Leonardi as a 2015-2016 inductee into its VIP Woman of the Year Circle. She is recognized with this prestigious distinction for leadership in the retail industry. NAPW is the nation’s leading networking organization exclusively for professional women, boasting more than 700,000 members and over 200 operating local chapters.
“I’m pleased to welcome Joanne into this exceptional group of professional women,” said NAPW President Star Jones. "Her knowledge and experience in her industry are valuable assets to her company and community.”
Ms. Leonardi had decided on a career in the restaurant business when a friend told her she might be a good fit for the retail industry. After getting hired at a large retail drug chain, she worked her way up to several positions of greater authority and soon became the first woman ever to secure the title of Regional Vice President.
“I think the work ethic of my father, as well as some of the people I worked with in the restaurant business, inspired me to believe I could be successful in whatever I put my mind to and worked hard at,” said Ms. Leonardi.
Today, Ms. Leonardi is the Healthcare Category Lead at Ahold USA, an international group of quality supermarkets based in Europe and the US. In this role, she is directly responsible for the overall strategic growth and profitability of all healthcare categories within the Ahold divisions. This includes over 750 Stop & Shop, Giant/Martins Carlisle, PA, and Giant Food of Maryland grocery store chains in the northeast.
Prior to her current position, Ms. Leonardi served in the capacity of Director of Health and Beauty Care for over four years at Ahold USA. She now uses her extensive knowledge of health and beauty care retail, as well as her profound understanding of store operations, to aid the company in designing programs that stores can execute and customers can respond to.
“This is an incredible time within the retail business, especially as a woman,” she said. “We need to continue to mentor and develop the new generation of woman professionals and engage the male retail professionals in the unique perspective that we bring to the business.”
Awards & Accomplishments: Bachelor’s, West Chester University, Education; Co-Chair of the GMDC (Global Market Development Center) Education Leadership Council and Board of Director member of GMDC; Member of United Way Women leadership network, Member of Ahold’s Women Adding Value Steering Committee and Co-Chair of Professional Development committee; Member of Network of Executive Women
About NAPW
NAPW’s mission is to provide an exclusive, highly advanced networking forum to successful women executives, professionals and entrepreneurs where they can aspire, connect and achieve. Through innovative resources, unique tools and progressive benefits, professional women interact, exchange ideas, advance their knowledge and empower each other.
Lisa Mancuso, NAPW, +1 (516) 453-6111, [email protected]
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