Kroger Appoints Milen Mahadevan Chief Data and AI Officer
"With data and data science at the core of our ongoing and accelerated transformation, Milen will lead Kroger's AI journey."
Grocery retailer Kroger has announced the appointment of Milen Mahadevan as Chief Data and AI Officer, a newly created position at the company. Mahadevan will continue serving as President and CEO of 84.51°, Kroger's data analytics subsidiary, while taking on oversight of the company's data and AI platform and customer technology teams.
The appointment consolidates Kroger's data and AI functions under a single leader. Mahadevan will work with business leaders across the company to embed AI capabilities into business processes and develop what Kroger described as next-generation agentic capabilities.
"With data and data science at the core of our ongoing and accelerated transformation, Milen will lead Kroger's AI journey by developing next-generation agentic capabilities that reinvent how we operate as an enterprise and redefine how we engage with our customers," a Kroger spokesperson said.
Kroger Chairman Ron Sargent announced the appointment during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call. CFO David Kennerley said the decision to create the role signals how seriously the company is approaching AI investment.
"We have significant investment dollars in 2026 and beyond targeted at making sure that we crystallize this opportunity," Kennerley said. "Like many other companies, we're at the early stages. We've made some good progress, but we've got a lot more to do."
Mahadevan has been with Kroger since it acquired dunnhumby USA in 2015. He was named President and CEO of 84.51° in 2020, having previously served as Chief Operating Officer. Before that, he led client solutions and capabilities at 84.51° and headed the Service Line Organization for dunnhumby USA.
Kroger has been expanding its AI deployments across both customer-facing and internal operations. The company adopted AI technology from Instacart that allows shoppers to build online baskets using AI, and operates an internal AI assistant called Sage that employees use to manage tasks including scheduling and time-off requests.