Lionel Desclée joined The Very Group in 2022. He previously served as President and Chief Executive of Walmart in Japan, where he led a 35,000-strong team at Seiyu, the Japanese supermarket business with a significant food, non-food and online presence through a joint venture with Rakuten.

Before joining Walmart, Lionel was President and Chief Executive of omnichannel retailer Tom & Co, which operates 180 pet care stores in continental Europe as well as an online presence. Between 2005 and 2016, Lionel held a number of senior roles at global retailer Delhaize Group, with responsibility for 750 franchised or affiliated stores in Belgium and Luxembourg, and 1,600 supermarkets in the US.

Originally from Belgium, Lionel is fluent in English, French and Dutch.