Under Julia’s watch,
animals are subjected to extreme cruelty.
*Image representative of battery cage facility.
Why is Julia Vander Ploeg Neglecting Animal Cruelty Concerns?
Julia Vander Ploeg is a Board Director with Ahold Delhaize, a supermarket conglomerate known for its U.S. chains Giant, Stop & Shop, Hannaford, and Food Lion.
Under Julia’s leadership, Ahold Delhaize is neglecting a serious animal cruelty issue. In the U.S., Ahold Delhaize sources the vast majority of its eggs from controversial battery cage facilities where chickens are confined in cages so small that they can barely move. This practice is so unsafe and inhumane that it is illegal in many U.S. states and the entire European Union. Ahold Delhaize has broken promises to concerned stakeholders and neglected to publish concrete action plans for phasing out these inhumane products.
Julia has the power to help bring a solution to the table, but so far the company continues to stall progress.
Who is Julia Vander Ploeg?
Julia is a career executive, formerly holding digital leadership positions with Hyatt, Volvo, McDonald’s, and Ticketmaster. She is now a board director of Extra Space Storage and Neighborly, is an advisor with McKinsey & Company, and teaches Executive Education at Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
These companies are risking their reputations by continuing to work with Julia. They have been informed of Julia’s failure to act responsibly as a director with Ahold Delhaize. Now it’s time for them to speak out publicly, condemn these practices, and distance themselves from Julia’s irresponsible leadership.
Can you trust Julia’s leadership?
Julia claims to have skills in the following areas:
Corporate governance and sustainability
Data-driven decision making and digital strategy and transformation
Customer experience, e-commerce, and AI
Aligning incentives across functions
Fractional leadership
If Julia can ignore concerns regarding irresponsible business practices and animal cruelty, what else is she willing to look the other way on? Under her watch, Ahold Delhaize has greenwashed and stalled progress on basic issues of animal welfare.
If you’re considering hiring Julia for a speaking engagement, we recommend first raising these concerns. Companies such as Northwestern and Extra Space Storage must leverage their connections with Julia to encourage action, too.
As the Senior VP of Marketing and Resale at Ticketmaster, she oversaw pricing schemes that relied on manipulative bait-and-switch tactics, prompting Rep. Bill Pascrell to call the deception, which Vander Ploeg publicly defended, “worse than a scam.” Two different states and the Federal Trade Commission launched investigations in defense of the thousands of victims of price gouging–oftentimes of tickets that didn’t exist. Later, as McDonald’s U.S. VP of Digital, Julia championed mobile ordering and kiosks that drove profits up by nearly 50% per employee but refused to share revenue with overburdened staff, keeping wages flat.
The lawsuits and public backlash following say it all: this isn’t innovation, it’s just corporate dishonesty.
Julia’s leadership legacy reveals a pattern of exploitation in the name of profit.
Julia’s True Expertise:
The Art of Deception
It’s past time for Julia to act with integrity. When will she act like a true leader and leverage her role as Vice Chair to push Ahold Delhaize to keep its cage-free commitment?
Julia’s company is misleading its customers.
A survey of Ahold Delhaize customers found that 85 percent opposed caged hen housing, preferring that hens be kept in open barns. The survey also found that the company’s labeling is misleading to a significant portion of its customers, who incorrectly believe eggs with certain labels at Ahold Delhaize stores are cage-free. This confusion and potential mistrust put the company’s brand reputation at risk.
It’s clear Ahold Delhaize’s customers expect the company to transition to 100 percent cage-free — and that their loyalty depends on the company sticking to its word.
*Image representative of battery cage facility