Koninklijke Ahold N.V. has appointed Jan Ernst de Groot as chief legal officer and member of its executive committee. Jan Ernst will start on February 1, reporting to CEO Dick Boer, and will be based at Ahold's headquarters in Zaandam, the Netherlands. Jan Ernst de Groot will be responsible for Ahold's legal affairs, governance and compliance, and he will also head up responsible retailing and product integrity.

Jan Ernst de Groot, (Dutch, 51) joins Ahold from TNT Express, where he was General Counsel and Managing Director External Affairs & Corporate Responsibility. Prior to TNT Express, he worked at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in a wide range of business and legal roles, most recently as Managing Director and member of the Board of Management. He was also responsible for the development and implementation of KLM's sustainability strategy.

Jan Ernst started his career at Dutch law firm De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek. Following the announcement of October 14, 2014, Lodewijk Hijmans van den Bergh will be stepping down as member of the Board of Management as of March 1, 2015.