7-Eleven Names a New CEO

7-Eleven parent company Seven & i Holdings has announced that Mauricio Leyva will take over as CEO of 7-Eleven on Aug. 1.

“As CEO, Mauricio will lead the company’s next phase of growth, working closely with SEI’s leadership team to elevate the customer experience, strengthen the store network, advance operational excellence and innovation, and drive sustainable, profitable growth,” the company noted in a statement.

Leyva is a seasoned executive with more than two decades of experience in the consumer products industry. From 2020 to 2024, he served as group president of Keurig Dr Pepper, where he led the company through a critical post-merger transformation, strengthening its operating foundation while shaping and executing a new business strategy.

Prior to Keurig Dr Pepper, Leyva held senior leadership roles at Lala Mexico, AB InBev and SABMiller.

Earlier in his career, he served as CEO of Grupo Modelo, where he also built and scaled Modelorama, one of Mexico’s largest convenience store chains; president of the Middle Americas Zone; and chairman and CEO of SABMiller South Africa.

Leyva holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia, completed postgraduate studies in International Commerce at ICN Business School in France, and has completed executive education programs at Stanford University and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

“Mauricio brings a wealth of executive leadership experience at global consumer goods companies and a proven track record of leading business transformations,” said Steve Dacus, president and CEO of Seven & i Holdings. “His appointment represents an important milestone as the company accelerates toward our transformation program ‘North Star’, and we are delighted to welcome Mauricio to the Seven & i family to lead SEI into this next stage of growth.”

“I have long admired the 7-Eleven brand, and I am honored to lead SEI at such an important moment in its history,” said Leyva. “I look forward to working closely with our franchise owners, our associates, and the leadership team across Seven & i to unlock SEI’s full potential. Together, we will redefine convenience and bring the 7-Eleven experience to more customers across North America.”

With Leyva’s appointment, the company will continue to accelerate its transformation program as the 7-Eleven brand celebrates its 100th anniversary next year.

The news of Leyva’s appointment comes as Seven & i continues to shift its operational strategy, kicked off by an announcement in April that the company planned to close 645 c-stores as part of its transition to larger “wholesale fuel stores,” according to a report from The U.S. Sun.

As it closes smaller-format stores, it will simultaneously open up to 200 new locations during fiscal year 2026 — from March 1 2026 to Feb. 28 2027.

The new stores will feature a larger assortment of products and an expanded food and beverage selection.

The company expects to open 500 new stores between 2025 and 2027.

7-Eleven President Stan Reynolds told The U.S. Sun that the “food-forward stores are resonating with our customers and driving (average sales per store day) about 18% higher than our system average. We’ll continue learning from these stores and refine our new store standard to meet the needs of consumers both now and in the future.”