Ahold Delhaize Appoints Brand President of Etos
Retail conglomerate Ahold Delhaize has promoted Lynne Bruning-van Gessel to take on the role of brand president of Dutch drug store brand Etos, from her previous position of commercial director at the company. The appointment comes after Pieter Saman, the current brand president of Etos, accepted a role in the United States as a division director at Ahold Delhaize USA banner Food Lion, effective Sept. 1. Bruning-van Gessel will start on July 1, reporting to Margaret Versteden-van Duijn, who will begin her new role of brand president of Albert Heijn on Sept. 1.
“I am excited to welcome Lynne as brand president of Etos,” said Claude Sarrailh, CEO of Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia. “As commercial director, she has shown strong strategic insight, market understanding and a clear focus on customer needs. With her sharp eye, knowledge of the market and strong leadership skills, I am confident that Etos will continue to grow under her leadership. We thank Pieter for his strong contribution to Etos. Under his leadership, the Etos brand was further strengthened and a new course set, focusing on innovation, competitive offers and increasing the relevance of Etos for a wider target audience. I wish him every success in his new role at Food Lion.”
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Bruning-van Gessel joined Etos in 2022 after more than 15 years at L’Oréal, where she held various commercial and leadership roles, among them general manager of the active cosmetics division. At Etos, she introduced distinctive new assortments, transformed ways of working, and, as a strong connector, built powerful teams and strategic partnerships. Bruning-van Gessel earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Vrije Universiteit, in Amsterdam.
Saman joined Ahold Delhaize in 2020 as brand president of Gall & Gall, transitioning to Etos in 2023.
“I am thankful for the cooperation that Pieter and I have had over the past two years,” said Bruning-van Gessel. “Together with the team, we set a growth course for Etos, with new brand positioning and own-brand product ranges. I look forward to building on the strong foundation we laid, and leading the team in driving both customer satisfaction and sustained growth.”
Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize is one of the world’s largest food retail groups. The company’s family of local brands serves 63 million customers each week, both in stores and online, in the United States, Europe and Indonesia. Together, these brands employ more than 402,000 associates in 7,716 grocery and specialty stores. The Ahold Delhaize USA division is No. 11 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2025 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century and among the 10 Most Sustainable Grocers of 2025.
