William Rodney McMullen (born 1961) is an American businessman who was the chief executive officer (CEO) of
Kroger
The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States.
Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cinc ...
, the third-largest general retailer in the United States, from 2014 until 2025. In March 2025, McMullen resigned abruptly after an investigation found his personal conduct did not align with Kroger's business ethics.
Early life
McMullen was born in
Pineville, Kentucky
Pineville () is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Bell County, Kentucky, Bell County, Kentucky, United States. It is the county seat, seat of its county. The population was 1,732 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 cens ...
on his family-owned farm, and was the first of his family to receive a college education. He has a bachelor's and a master's degree in accounting, both from the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...
.
Career
In 1978, McMullen began working part-time as a stock clerk at a Kroger grocery store in Lexington, Kentucky, while a university student. His work included price tagging items, bagging groceries, receiving product, and running the register.
In 1982, McMullen moved to
Charlotte
Charlotte most commonly refers to:
*Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles
** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation)
** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation)
*Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city
* Charlotte (cake) ...
, North Carolina to work as an accounting supervisor for Kroger. In 1986, he became a
financial analyst
A financial analyst is a professional undertaking financial analysis for external or internal clients as a core feature of the job.
In 1995, McMullen became chief financial officer of Kroger. He oversaw Kroger's acquisition of Fred Meyer, Inc. in 1999.
In 2000, McMullen became Kroger's executive vice president of strategy, planning, and finance. In 2003, McMullen became vice chairman of Kroger, and then became president and chief operating officer in 2009.
McMullen became the CEO of Kroger on January 1, 2014, succeeding David Dillon. He was appointed as chairman of the company in 2015. In 2025, McMullen resigned as chairman and CEO after a board investigation found that his personal conduct was inconsistent with the grocer's "policy on business ethics."
McMullen is a non-executive director of
Cincinnati Financial
Cincinnati Financial Corporation offers property and casualty insurance, its main business, through The Cincinnati Insurance Company, The Cincinnati Indemnity Company and The Cincinnati Casualty Company. The company has 1.01% of the domestic prop ...
.
Compensation
In 2013, McMullen received $8.8 million in compensation from Kroger.
McMullen received $12 million in compensation in fiscal year 2018, jumping by 21 percent to $20.1 million in 2019 due to "a boost in stock awards tied to performance incentives."
In 2020, his salary plus bonuses plus various stock options totaled $20,578,119.
In 2021, McMullen's salary was listed at $1.34 million, while the median employee salary at Kroger that year was a bit more than $24,000. This indicates McMullen makes 5,348 percent of the median salary, which is one of the largest wage gaps in America. His total compensation for 2021 was $18 million.
In 2022, McMullen's total compensation rose $1 million to $19 million, with the ratio of McMullen's pay to that of the median Kroger worker for that year standing at 671-to-1.
In 2023, McMullen's total compensation from Kroger was $15.7 million, or 502 times what the median employee at Kroger earned that same year.
Personal life
He is married to Kathryn King McMullen, whom he met when they were both students at the University of Kentucky.