MEMPHIS — Fred’s Inc. has appointed Jason Jenne executive vice president and chief financial officer. He succeeds Rick Hans, who is stepping down from the company to pursue other opportunities.

Hans will remain in an advisory capacity until August 18 and will work closely with Jenne to ensure a smooth transition.

Jenne joined Fred’s Pharmacy in September 2016 as senior vice president of finance. He is a certified public accountant with more than 25 years of operations and finance experience and has held numerous executive leadership roles.

Jason Jenne

In addition to leading financial and risk management across the company, Jenne will be responsible for ensuring that the finance organization enables Fred’s Pharmacy to execute its health care transformation and capitalize on the market opportunities ahead. These responsibilities include oversight of cash flow; selling, general and administrative expense (SG&A) management; and capital allocation strategy.

“Jason’s leadership experience and in-depth knowledge of finance and operations ideally qualify him to be the next chief financial officer of Fred’s Pharmacy,” said chief executive officer Mike Bloom. “Jason is an integral member of our leadership team, and over the past year he and I have worked closely together as we navigated the proposed Rite Aid transaction, implemented a new health care strategy and pursued additional growth opportunities for Fred’s Pharmacy. As we execute our plan, Jason’s strategic insight and financial expertise will be invaluable in our ongoing efforts to improve performance and create shareholder value.

“I want to thank Rick for his contributions to Fred’s Pharmacy and for his commitment to facilitating a seamless transition,” Bloom added.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to lead Fred’s Pharmacy’s financial team at this important stage in the company’s transformation,” said Jenne. “Fred’s is a company with significant growth potential and a strong team in place to drive shareholder value. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Mike and the rest of the senior leadership to accelerate the execution of the company’s business plan.”