Former Kellanova executive brings more than 35 years of experience building strategic partnerships across the retail industry

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As retailers and suppliers navigate an increasingly complex marketplace, Acosta Group today announced that Joe Mueller, one of the retail industry's most respected customer development leaders, will join the company as Chief Retailer Partnerships Officer, a newly created role focused on strengthening retailer relationships and advancing collaboration across the retail ecosystem.

In this role, Mueller will partner closely with agency leadership teams across Acosta Group's Omnichannel Sales & Services organization, helping strengthen retailer relationships, identify growth opportunities for clients and customers, and provide retail marketplace insights that help shape strategies and solutions across the business.

"Strong retailer relationships are fundamental to helping our clients grow," said Mark Rahiya, Group President, Omnichannel Sales & Services, Acosta Group. "This role reflects our continued investment in the retailer relationships and strategic partnerships that drive growth across the retail ecosystem. Joe has earned tremendous respect across the retail industry throughout his career. His relationships and marketplace insight will help us strengthen collaboration with retailers, identify new opportunities for growth and deliver even greater results for our clients and customers."

Mueller joins Acosta Group following a distinguished 35-year career with Kellanova and Kellogg Company, where he most recently served as Vice President, Industry and Customer Development. Throughout his career, he led some of the company's largest customer businesses, built retailer partnerships at scale and developed commercial strategies that drove growth across multiple channels. He also worked closely with Acosta Group throughout his career on retail execution, customer development and growth initiatives.

Joe's experience complements Acosta Group's long-standing focus on helping brands and retailers grow together. By combining deep retailer relationships with marketplace expertise and execution capabilities, Acosta Group continues to help clients and customers identify opportunities, strengthen collaboration and create greater value for shoppers.

ABOUT ACOSTA GROUP

Acosta Group is a collective of the most trusted retail, marketing and foodservice agencies empowering brands and retailers to win in the modern marketplace. By delivering transformative, commerce-focused solutions and more than 121 years of expertise, Acosta Group connects its partners with people at every point in the consumer journey.

Comprised of Acosta, ActionLink, ADW, CORE Foodservice, CROSSMARK, Mosaic, Premium Retail Services and Product Connections, Acosta Group understands and anticipates evolving consumer needs, fueling accelerated performance to connect tomorrow's commerce today. For more information, please visit acosta.group.

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SOURCE Acosta Group