STELLARTON, Nova Scotia — Michael Medline has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Canadian supermarket chain Sobeys Inc. and its parent Empire Co. Medline will also serve as a director of Empire, the company announced earlier this month.

Medline’s appointment was effective immediately.

“Michael Medline is an outstanding Canadian retailer who brings a passion for the customer experience and a proven ability to drive strong operating and financial performance within national organizations and across multiple brands,” commented James Dickson, chairman of Empire. “After an extensive international search, the board is unanimous in its determination that Michael is the right choice to create long-term value for all our stakeholders.”

Medline is the former president and CEO of Canadian Tire Corp., a Toronto-based company with about 490 general merchandise stores run by a network of associate dealers across Canada that offer automotive parts, home goods and sporting equipment.

Medline served for over 15 years in a variety of senior retail leadership roles at Canadian Tire. He left that company last summer.

“I am proud to be joining Empire, a great retailer which has served Canadians for more than 109 years,” Medline said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to working with our entire team to put together and execute on a strategy that will thrill our customers, build our brands and excite our shareholders.”

Last summer Sobeys parted ways with CEO Marc Poulin and appointed François Vimard as interim CEO. Vimard, who had previously been Empire’s chief financial officer, now becomes executive vice president at the company.

Medline will work closely with Vimard and the Empire leadership team to understand the unique aspects of Empire’s business, the company said in a ­statement.

“We thank François Vimard for his great work leading the company over the past several months and are extremely pleased that he will move into the position of executive vice president for Empire to play an active role in the transition,” Dickson said.