New appointment at Heritage Grocers Group: Chief Administrative Officer named
Heritage Grocers Group Appoints Leticia G. Espinoza as Chief Administrative Officer
In a significant move, Heritage Grocers Group (HGG) has appointed Leticia G. Espinoza as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in June 2025. Espinoza, who has previously held the position of General Counsel for the company, brings a wealth of experience to this new role [1][2].
Espinoza's impressive career trajectory spans over 25 years, with more than two decades in executive in-house roles for both publicly traded and privately owned organizations [2]. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School [1].
Her key accomplishments at HGG include her senior executive involvement in guiding the company through leadership changes and maintaining operational continuity during the CEO search process [2]. Her contributions have been instrumental in strengthening HGG's organization.
HGG operates a network of over 100 stores under banners like Cardenas Markets, El Rancho Supermercado, Tony’s Fresh Market, and Los Altos Ranch Market across six states - California, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Kansas, and Illinois [3][5]. Under Espinoza's administrative leadership, the company continues to thrive.
In addition to her role as CAO, Espinoza will oversee real estate, loss prevention, corporate affairs, communications, legal, risk management, and human resources across all Heritage banner companies [4]. She will report directly to HGG Chairman and CEO Suzy Monford.
Suzy Monford, the new CEO of Heritage Grocers Group, discusses the growth trajectory of the company's 3 brands in an interview with Progressive Grocer [6]. The company is No. 70 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2025 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America [3].
Espinoza has been recognised for her leadership and contributions, being named among Progressive Grocer’s 2025 Top Women in Grocery in the Senior-Level Executives category [5]. She is also the recipient of the Professional Achievement Award from the Mexican American Bar Foundation.
The appointment of Leticia G. Espinoza as CAO is part of a broader leadership transition at Heritage Grocers Group, a major Hispanic-focused food retailer. HGG is working with various tech companies such as Instacart, Caper, and RELEX to define what it means to be a modern Hispanic and tech-forward grocer [7].
In other leadership changes, Kim Cates has been promoted to group VP of merchandising at Heritage Grocers Group, and Allison Garcia has become group VP of marketing. Matthew Holt has been named the new CFO of Heritage Grocers Group, succeeding Darren Karst who has retired [8].
Espinoza's responsibilities and accomplishments at Heritage Grocers Group underscore her ability to steer a large, diverse retail organization through leadership transitions and support company operations, while gaining industry recognition as a top female executive in grocery retail serving Hispanic communities [1][2][5].
In her new role as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) at Heritage Grocers Group (HGG), Leticia G. Espinoza will leverage her extensive experience in executive in-house roles to lead real estate, loss prevention, corporate affairs, communications, legal, risk management, and human resources across all Heritage banner companies, thereby furthering the company's growth trajectory in the realm of entrepreneurship and finance. With this appointment, Espinoza, a recipient of the Professional Achievement Award from the Mexican American Bar Foundation and a Top Woman in Grocery honoree, demonstrates her capacity for leadership in the business sector, shaping career opportunities for herself and others within the company.
