Albertsons Companies has appointed agency and marketing veteran Brian Monahan as the new head of its retail media operation called Albertsons Media Collective.  

Kristi Argyilan had previously overseen the company’s retail media unit but left in December when she was appointed global head of advertising for Uber.  

Monahan joins from Dentsu where he served as global client president and head of retail media solutions for the last seven years. Earlier he was vice president of marketing at Walmart and before that led the intelligence practice at Interpublic’s Magna and the IPG Media Lab.  

Albertson’s said the hire was designed in part to accelerate its retail media business and advance its “Customer’s for Life” strategy.  

Dentsu issued a statement that reads in part, "we are actively preparing for the next stage of leadership in this area."

This story has been updated with input from Dentsu.