CARLISLE, Pa. — Rebecca Lupfer was promoted to chief financial officer of the GIANT Co. last October. While most of her career has been spent in finance, her career path and skill sets have been enriched by leadership roles in both merchandising and store operations.

Lupfer joined Ahold USA in 2005 and spent the first 12 years of her career in internal audit, rising through a succession of roles of increasing responsibility, culminating in her appointment as director of internal audit, professional practices and training in July 2016. It was the same month that the merger of parent company Ahold NV and Delhaize Group was completed, heralding big changes for the U.S. operations of both companies.

“I loved it,” Lupfer recalled in a recent interview. “I was never going to leave internal audit. But things change, and I felt it was a good time in my career to take a different step.”

It was a big step into a core part of the business as portfolio lead for seasonal merchandise. Lupfer acknowledged that she was nervous about leaving her comfort zone in internal audit.

Rebecca Lupfer

At the beginning of 2018 Lupfer transitioned to GIANT, which had been part of Ahold USA and was now part of the combined operation, Ahold Delhaize USA. She leveraged her financial background to assume a more strategic role as director of merchandise planning.

“I wasn’t a traditional merchant,” she noted. “Most merchants start their careers as a buyer or an analyst and work their way up. My background in internal audit had more to do with strategy, and maybe a different way of thinking.”

After a year, Lupfer was promoted to vice president of center store grocery, and in 2022 she made another big move, this time into store operations as vice president of the Mid-Atlantic division, with responsibility for 100 stores and 17,000 team members across Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia.

However, when the CFO position at GIANT opened up a few months ago, Lupfer realized how passionate she was about working in finance. Her experience in merchandising and operations has enabled her to lead the finance team in a different way, bridging the gap in understanding between the support role played by the finance team and the frontline team members in merchandising and operations. In addition to overseeing the finance function, Lupfer’s responsibilities include real estate, format, strategy, external communications and sustainability.

In addition, Lupfer is passionate about coaching the next generation of leaders in the company. She leads the company’s women’s leadership executive business resource group.