NACS’ top executive will step down next year after spending two decades in the top role at the convenience industry’s main trade association.

President and CEO Henry Armour will leave the post at the end of 2025 and a new leader will take over in 2026, according to a Friday announcement from NACS. Armour’s succession plan has been in the works for several years, and took effect last month following the NACS Executive Committee meeting.

Meanwhile, Brian Hannasch, who was CEO of Alimentation Couche-Tard for a decade until last month, has been named the 2024-25 NACS chairman of the board. He now leads the NACS executive committee, which provides strategic direction and financial oversight to the association.

To help find Armour’s replacement, NACS has formed a search committee of five industry executives. Besides Hannasch, they include Annie Gauthier, CFO and co-CEO of St. Romain Oil Company LLC; Natalie Morhous, CEO of RaceTrac Inc.; Ken Parent, former president of Pilot Flying J LLC; and Joe Sheetz, chairman of Sheetz.

Armour will provide support to the new CEO and continue leading NACS’ international activities once the organization has transitioned to a new leader.

In a statement, 2024 NACS Chairman Victor Paterno credited Armour with transforming the association into a global organization. He noted that under Armour’s stewardship, NACS’ financial standing has improved, education and networking opportunities have expanded and lobbying efforts have become more effective.

Since its founding in 1961, NACS has had just three CEOs. Besides Armour, there was Harry Hunter from 1961 to 1981 and Kerley LeBouef from 1981 to 2005.

“Henry Armour has fundamentally changed NACS for the better over the past 20 years,” Paterno said. 

Armour became NACS’ President and CEO shortly after selling West Star Corporation, a chain of 59 c-stores, truck stops and restaurants he founded in the Pacific Northwest. He also worked briefly for Standard Oil starting in 1980, and got his start in the industry working at his family’s retail automotive and transportation business. 

“Serving the industry by leading NACS has been an honor,” Armour said in a statement. “While the time will be right for me to pass that torch at the end of next year, I am excited about the opportunities before us through 2025 and look forward to staying involved with the industry by helping the next CEO take NACS and the industry as a whole to even greater heights.”