The CEO of Kroger Has Resigned Amidst Mysterious Allegations — Here's What We Know

One of Rodney McMullen's first jobs was working part-time as a stock clerk at a Kroger's when he was a freshman in college. In what can only be described as the American dream, McMullen worked his way up through the ranks until he became CEO in January 2014. Not many people can say that they have worked for one organization. Unfortunately, McMullen won't be able to clock five decades with the company he has been devoted to for more of his life.

In March 2025, Kroger announced that McMullen would be stepping down as CEO and Ronald Sargent would step in as interim CEO, per a press release. This decision was the result of an investigation into McMullen's personal conduct. What did Rodney McMullen do? Here's what we know.

The Kroger Board was made aware of " certain personal conduct" by McMullen on Feb. 21, 2025. They promptly retained outside independent counsel who investigated the matter, which was supervised by a special Board committee. What they found was that McMullen's conduct was "not related to the Company's financial performance, operations, or reporting, and it did not involve any Kroger associates."

While Sargent is serving as CEO, the Board of Directors formed a Search Committee who hired a firm that is conducting a search for a permanent CEO. "As interim CEO, I am committed to working alongside our proven and experienced management team and dedicated associates to ensure Kroger continues providing exceptional value for our customers," said Sargent. Like McMullen, Sargent started at Kroger while in college and has been with the company for decades.

In January 2014, McMullen presided over his first annual meeting as the CEO of Kroger, a mere 36 years after he started as a stock boy, reported Cincinnati.com. He was described as humble and easygoing, which perhaps hid was he was capable of. For the past decade, McMullen consistently helped grow Kroger's sales, which is partly why he climbed to the top of the corporate ladder.

"You would never know what a talent he was if you just knew him casually, he's not the type to brag, he's not aggressive," said Bill Sinkula, Kroger's former chief financial officer. "He was a key player on every major decision after 1987 when he was just a kid." Much of his dedication was born from fear, which came from a childhood where his parents moved from one factory job to another. They encouraged their son to get an education because a "college education would have more security," he recalled.

McMullen did just that, which is how he ended up at the University of Kentucky. His parents saved up enough money for the first year but every year after was taken care of by McMullen's job at Kroger. "I worked every job in that store, from the dairy to the deli," said McMullen. From there, the only way is up, which makes McMullen's fall that much harder.