LOS ANGELES — Smart & Final Holdings Corp. has named David Hirz, president and chief executive officer.

Smart & Final Holdings Corp. has named David Hirz, president and chief executive officer.

Hirz, who assumed his new position on January 1, will also become a member of the company’s board of directors. Smart & Final’s chairman and former chief executive officer George Golleher will remain executive chairman of the board and continue to work closely with Hirz and the senior management team on strategic issues. Golleher joined Smart & Final in May 2007 in conjunction with the company’s acquisition by Apollo Management LP.

Hirz, who joined Smart & Final as president in April 2010, came to the company with extensive supermarket experience. Between 1999 and 2010, he served as president of Food 4 Less supermarkets for eight years and as president of Ralphs Grocery Co. for three years. Both companies are divisions of Kroger Co.

Hirz previously served as group vice president of operations of Food 4 Less, which he joined in 1991. Before that, he held leadership positions with the Boys Markets from 1985 to 1991, including serving as district manager and director of store operations and administration.

Hirz received a bachelor’s degree in finance from California State University, Fullerton. He is a graduate of the Food Industry Management Program at Cornell University and the Food Industry Executive Program at the University of Southern California.

Hirz serves as a member of the boards of directors for the Western Association of Food Chains and the Boy Scouts of America, Orange County Council and as a member of the dean’s advisory board for the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics at California State University, Fullerton. He also was the 2011 president of the City of Hope Southern California Food Industries Circle.

"I have known and worked with Dave for almost 35 years, and he is the ideal executive to lead our dynamic company," Golleher said. "Since coming to Smart & Final in 2010, Dave has worked extremely hard to understand our unique business and has led significant new business initiatives. Dave has done a great job in helping to build our company into what it is today, and I believe he will effectively lead Smart & Final’s continued evolution as a premiere food retailer."

Hirz added, "I am proud and excited to have this opportunity to lead Smart & Final and to continue the vision that George has developed for our company. I look forward to working with the entire Smart & Final team to achieve our corporate objectives, and I anticipate that 2012 will be our best year ever."

Originally founded in 1871 in downtown Los Angeles, Smart & Final Stores LLC operates approximately 250 retail stores under the banners Smart & Final, Smart & Final Extra!, Cash & Carry Smart Foodservice, and SmartCo Foods.