Chris Kreidler
Syracuse, NYRegion: US Northeast
Chris Kreidler is a seasoned financial executive with over 30 years of domestic and international experience with deep strategic planning, operational, and transactional expertise.
As EVP and CFO at Sysco Corporation ($50B global leader in wholesale foodservice), Chris led a new corporate strategy enabling the Company to compete profitably in a maturing industry and a difficult macro-economic environment. One of the strategy’s short-term initiatives was to reduce the annual cost structure by $600M within three years, a goal that was exceeded by more than 30%. Longer-term, Chris helped significantly increase the acquisition pipeline and closure rate, enhancing sales growth rate by one percentage point per year over several years. Chris also engineered the acquisition of US Foods ($22B) and the divestiture of a carve-out ($5B). For both transactions, he led integration planning including identifying more than $1B in synergies, exceeding an initial $600M objective. Though the FTC did not approve the transaction after an extensive 18-month review period, many identified cost savings initiatives were ultimately implemented.
Key Positions
- EVP and CFO, SYSCO Corporation
- EVP, CFO, and Chief Customer Officer, C&S Wholesale Grocers
- SVP Corporate Strategy and Treasurer, YUM! Brands, Inc.
Board Positions
- TrueBlue Inc.
- Individual Foodservice
- Alyasra Food Company
- Council of Overseers, Rice Business School
- Aimia Inc. (Chair, Audit Committee)
- P.F. Chang’s China Bistro (Chair, Audit Committee)
- Wok Holdings (Chair, Audit Committee)
Key Industries
- Food & Beverage
- Distribution
- Restaurants
- Oil and Gas
- Private Equity
Core Strengths
- Complex Business Strategy
- Creating Shareholder, Organizational, and Customer Value
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Business Integration
- Capital Allocation
- Global Financial Operations
- Negotiation
- People Development
- Building and Inspiring Successful Teams
