RaceTrac Names Jill Pemberton as New CFO

RaceTrac Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

RaceTrac has announced the appointment of Jill Pemberton as its new chief financial officer, marking another significant leadership change for the convenience store retailer this year. The company confirmed the hire on Monday, noting that Pemberton will step into the role with immediate responsibility for the organization's financial operations. She will report directly to RaceTrac CEO Natalie Morhous and will take charge of accounting, finance, tax and treasury functions across the company and its broader portfolio of brands. That portfolio includes RaceWay, Gulf and Potbelly, meaning Pemberton's oversight will extend well beyond the core RaceTrac banner into a diverse set of businesses spanning fuel retail and quick service dining. Her appointment signals that RaceTrac is continuing to prioritize experienced financial leadership as it manages a growing and increasingly complex family of brands.

A Background Rooted in Luxury Retail Finance

Pemberton arrives at RaceTrac after a lengthy career at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the global luxury goods conglomerate, where she most recently held the position of chief financial officer for the company's North America region. That region represents a substantial piece of LVMH's global business, with reported revenue of roughly 20 billion dollars. During her time in that role, Pemberton was responsible for shaping financial strategy and driving business performance across a wide array of functions. Her purview there included not just traditional finance duties but also financial planning and analysis, tax, treasury, information technology, procurement and risk management. That breadth of experience across so many operational areas suggests she is accustomed to working cross functionally rather than staying narrowly focused on accounting and reporting alone, a trait that will likely serve her well in a multi brand organization like RaceTrac.

A Career Spanning Multiple Industries

Beyond her tenure at LVMH, Pemberton's résumé includes stops at several major companies across different industries. She previously held financial leadership roles at Viacom, the media conglomerate now folded into Paramount's corporate history, as well as at Johnson & Johnson, the pharmaceutical and medical technology giant. She also spent time at H.J. Heinz, the food processing company known for its ketchup and other packaged goods, and at Delta Air Lines, one of the largest carriers in the United States. This mix of industries, spanning media, healthcare, packaged food and airlines, points to a career built on adaptability. Few executives can claim experience across such varied sectors, and that versatility may be part of what made her an attractive candidate for a company like RaceTrac, which operates convenience stores, fuel stations and a restaurant chain all under one corporate umbrella.

Board Experience Adds Governance Depth

In addition to her executive roles, Pemberton currently serves on the board of directors for The Toro Company, the well known manufacturer of landscaping and outdoor power equipment. Her position on that board is not merely ceremonial. She chairs the audit committee, a role that typically requires deep familiarity with financial reporting, internal controls and risk oversight. Serving in that capacity while simultaneously managing a demanding executive career suggests a level of financial rigor and governance experience that boards and companies tend to value highly. It also indicates that Pemberton has spent years thinking about corporate financial oversight from the perspective of a director, not just as an operating executive, which could bring a valuable outside lens to RaceTrac's own internal financial practices.

CEO Praises Pemberton's Strategic Fit

RaceTrac CEO Natalie Morhous spoke highly of Pemberton in the company's announcement, framing her hire as a natural fit for the retailer's broader ambitions. Morhous described Pemberton's experience in financial strategy, long range planning, business transformation, mergers and acquisitions, and operational excellence as complementary to the company's growth strategy. She also praised Pemberton as a collaborative and people focused leader, someone who is passionate about developing talent and building high performing teams. That kind of language suggests RaceTrac is not simply looking for someone to manage the books. The company appears to be positioning Pemberton as a strategic partner who can help guide expansion decisions, potential acquisitions and long term planning as the business continues to grow across its various brands.

Karla Ahlert Steps Into New Administrative Role

Pemberton's arrival comes as she succeeds Karla Ahlert, who until recently held the CFO title at RaceTrac. Rather than departing the company, Ahlert has moved into a newly created position as RaceTrac's first ever chief administrative officer. In that capacity, she will take on oversight of the company's shared services functions, which include human resources, supply chain, special projects and procurement. This transition suggests that RaceTrac is not simply replacing outgoing talent but rather reorganizing its executive structure to better distribute responsibilities as the company scales. Creating a chief administrative officer position is a notable structural change, one that separates financial stewardship from the operational and people focused functions that Ahlert will now lead.

Part of a Broader Executive Restructuring

These leadership changes are not occurring in isolation. They come roughly four months after RaceTrac brought on retail industry veteran Mark Gunn to serve as the company's first chief people officer. Taken together, the creation of a chief people officer role, the elevation of Ahlert to chief administrative officer, and the hiring of Pemberton as CFO all point to a company that is actively reshaping its executive bench. RaceTrac appears to be building out a more specialized and experienced leadership team capable of supporting continued growth across its convenience store, fuel and restaurant operations. For a company managing multiple brands with different customer bases and operational demands, this kind of deliberate executive restructuring could prove essential as it navigates competition in the convenience retail and quick service dining sectors in the years ahead.