No executive shift last month was bigger than 7-Eleven’s longtime CEO announcing his retirement — a move that subsequently kicked off the search for the next face of the largest convenience retailer in the U.S.
But Joseph DePinto’s resignation wasn’t the only notable leadership shift the industry saw as 2025 came to a close.
Here’s more on DePinto’s departure, as well other significant executive moves we covered in December. And here’s our executive roundup from November, in case you missed it.
DePinto steps down at 7-Eleven
Late on Dec. 19, Seven & i Holdings announced that DePinto, 7-Eleven’s CEO since 2005, would retire at the end of the year. Stan Reynolds and Doug Rosencrans, president and COO of 7-Eleven, respectively, will serve as co-CEOs until a permanent replacement is hired. That search process is now part of the most anticipated c-store industry storyline heading into 2026.
DePinto’s departure marked a significant shift for 7-Eleven, and its next chief executive will be tasked with leading the c-store retailer into a major new growth phase. In addition to shepherding the company through an initial public offering, the new CEO will also have to keep the rollout of hundreds of larger, food-focused c-stores on track, as well as juggle other updates and improvements to 7-Eleven’s technology and food offerings.
BP taps outside CEO, loses top c-store exec
BP revealed in mid-December that Murray Auchincloss, who had been BP’s chief executive since January 2024, had stepped down and oil industry veteran Meg O’Neill will become its next CEO, effective April 1. Carol Howle, BP’s executive vice president of supply, trading and shipping, is serving as interim CEO.
O’Neill, BP’s fourth CEO since 2020, will assume leadership amid a challenging period for the company, which underwent a major strategy reset in 2025. Early last year, the company kicked off its initiative to reduce expenses by about $2 billion by 2026, which included laying off thousands of employees and divesting 10% of its company-operated c-stores.
O’Neill was most recently CEO of Australian energy company Woodside Energy, and was its COO, EVP of development and EVP of development and marketing before that. Prior to joining Woodside Energy in 2018, she spent 23 years with ExxonMobil in a variety of technical, operational and senior leadership roles across the U.S., Canada and Norway.
Days after O’Neill’s appointment, Kevin Kapala, head of growth and customer sales for BP’s convenience retailing business in the U.S., announced that he left the company. Kapala had spearheaded the customer-facing sales organization within BP’s c-store business in the U.S., including overseeing partnerships at about 8,500 locations nationwide. He also led go-to-market strategies for BP’s c-store banners in the U.S., notably Ampm and Amoco, while advancing their digital transformations and overseeing their franchise networks.
Maverik hires chief of staff
Maverik hired Jaclyn Avrit as chief of staff in early December. She joined Maverik after spending the past three years as executive administrator for Utah-based homebuilder Destination Homes.
Avrit will serve as “a strategic partner and trusted advisor” to the convenience retailer’s chief operating officer, John Hillam, and will help enable the effectiveness of Maverik’s executive leadership team, which is led by CEO Crystal Maggelet.
Additionally, Avrit will oversee special projects, coordinate company-wide initiatives and manage agendas, presentations and other materials for executive leadership and board meetings.
Fresh Stop COO departs, new VP joins
Scott Burchfield has resigned as COO of Fresh stop.
Burchfield left Fresh Stop, which has over 30 c-stores across four states, “to pursue other interests,” he said in a text message to C-Store Dive. He added that Matt Pickelsimer, president of Fresh Stop since this past summer, had assumed his duties as COO.
As Burchfield left, Fresh Stop tapped Ryan Blevins as senior vice president of sales and operations. Blevins joined the company from Tennessee c-store retailer Weigel’s, where he was director of food and beverage innovation for nearly four years, according to his LinkedIn bio. At Fresh Stop, Blevins “will oversee store performance, foodservice strategy, and operational standards,” according to the announcement.
Yesway adds VP of merchandising
Yesway hired Chuck Sanders as vice president of merchandising. He leads the company’s merchandising organization and helps develop long-term strategy for Yesway’s network of over 400 convenience stores across the Midwest, South and Southwest.
Sanders joined Yesway after spending a year and a half as soft drinks category manager for 7-Eleven. He now manages Yesway’s merchandising team and oversees the company’s category management, assortment optimization, vendor partnerships, pricing, planograms and more. He also works with Yesway’s marketing, loyalty, operations, fuel, financial planning and supply chain teams.
Minuteman names VP of ops, merchandising and marketing
Minuteman Food Mart hired Thomas Becker as vice president of retail operations, merchandising and marketing. Becker most recently spent five years as director of U.S. proprietary brands for Circle K, a role he held until this past April.
While at Circle K, Becker was responsible for profit and loss, marketing, product development and procurement for the retailer’s private label portfolio in the U.S., according to his LinkedIn bio. Becker said this side of the business launched over 350 new SKUs under his leadership.
Earlier in his career, Becker spent about three years as director of private label brand management and marketing for supermarket giant Ahold Delhaize. He also spent two years as director of private label, brand marketing and product development for supplies retailer OfficeMax.
Arko taps Murphy USA’s former CFO
Arko Corp., parent company of GPM Investments, named Galagher Jeff executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Dec. 1. He succeeded Rob Giammatteo, who left Arko in October.
Jeff resigned as CFO of convenience retailer Murphy USA in October.
Before joining Murphy as CFO in early 2024, Jeff worked for nearly a year as senior vice president of finance and strategy and chief transformation officer for discount retailer Dollar Tree. Before that, he spent more than three years in finance roles with car parts retailer Advance Auto Parts, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also served for more than a decade in a number of roles with Walmart, including more than two years as VP and CFO of the company’s e-commerce arm.
