There were new appointments announced by SPAR country organisations in Austria, Northern Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Dr. Christof Rissbacher, Chairman of the Management Board of Aspiag Service srl

The Management Board of SPAR Holding AG appointed Dr. Christof Rissbacher (47) as Chairman of the Management Board of Aspiag Service srl, the business unit of SPAR Austria responsible for Northern Italy, effective from April 1st 2024. Christof replaces Paul Klotz, who previously held the position on an interim basis. Paul will remain in his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aspiag Service srl. The two managing directors Francesco Montalvo and Massimo Salviato will remain in their current positions on the management board.

Christof is from Tyrol and has been with SPAR Austria since 2002. He was previously in charge of expansion and project development and was Managing Director of the SPAR headquarters in Wörgl from 2012 to 2021, where he was responsible for SPAR in Tyrol and Salzburg. In April 2021, he joined the management of Aspiag Service srl.

Ljubica Lucic, INTERSPAR Regional Director in Austria

From the beginning of April, Ljubica Lucic was named as the new Regional Director at INTERSPAR Hypermarkets. The Croatian-born retailer will be responsible for seven INTERSPAR Hypermarkets in the Northern and Eastern territories of Lower Austria, leading a team of seven INTERSPAR Hypermarkets managing directors and around 800 employees.

Ljubica started her career at the SPAR Supermarket in Kolsass in Tyrol in 2007. From 2009, she worked as a Cash Supervisor and Deputy Manager in the INTERSPAR Hypermarkets in Klosterneuburg and Vienna-Mitte, before taking over the INTERSPAR Hypermarket in Vienna-Mitte as Managing Director.

Nicola McIntosh, Chief People Officer at A.F. Blakemore

Nicola McIntosh has been named as the new Chief People Officer at SPAR UK wholesaler A.F. Blakemore, effective from May 20th 2024.

Nicola joins A.F. Blakemore from Rotherham, Doncaster, and South Humber NHS Trust, where she served as Executive Board Director of People and Organisational Development. In this role, she led a team of 120 and played a key role in navigating the Trust’s workforce through the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, Nicole held leadership positions at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Jet2Holidays, and Wm Morrisons Supermarkets, where she established a strong reputation for delivering innovative L&D programs, organisational development strategies, and leadership development initiatives.

Source: SPAR Austria, SPAR Austria, SPAR UK.