"We are very intentional about developing talent to meet the needs of our rapidly growing business worldwide," said Walmart President and CEO
Current Sam's Club President and CEO
With his departure,
"Roz came to us with an outstanding background in consumer packaged goods more than five years ago," said Duke. "During that time I have seen her develop into a talented merchant and retailer. She has strong strategic, analytical and operational skills and has successfully managed a large and complex business. I've also been struck by Roz's servant leadership when I have visited stores with her. She always lets her team do the talking, with her focus being on how to better support their needs."
Prior to Walmart, Brewer worked for
In speaking about Cornell, Duke said, "Brian has done a terrific job at Sam's Club. He is a strong, high-energy leader who has delivered great results and leaves behind a business with outstanding momentum. In addition to building a talented, high-functioning team to run that business, he has also developed other leaders who now hold senior positions around the globe."
"Being part of the Sam's Club family has been a wonderful personal and professional experience, one that I will always value," said Cornell, who is leaving at a time of strength for that business. "I have felt at home here and have a strong connection to the associates, the company and its values and mission. However, after 30 years of asking my family to follow me all around the globe, it is time to put them first. My wife and I want to put down roots in the Northeast and live in the same ZIP code as our children – not just occasionally seeing them in hotels and restaurants."
Ford will play an important role in helping the company meet its commitment to reduce SG&A expenses as a percentage of sales by more than 100 basis points over the next five years. Ford's efforts will include a focus on leveraging scale, reducing expenses and increasing productivity around the world.
"We work hard to keep our costs low so that we can pass these savings on to our customers," said Duke, "and now we are sharpening our focus even more. Rollin has played a key role in driving process improvement and leveraging technology in the past and will now have broad responsibility for some of the key areas that give us the greatest opportunity. His new position enables us to capitalize on his experience in our information systems, logistics and supply chain divisions, as well as his strength in teambuilding and ability to lead across multiple organizations."
Ford joined Walmart in 1983 as an hourly associate in our logistics network and has held many positions over the years. He has helped lead the company through periods of enormous growth, including the expansion of the company's transportation and logistics network.
Ruiz was most recently executive vice president of People for Walmart U.S. where she was responsible for the human resources and store innovation organizations supporting more than 1.2 million associates. She helped transform the company's approach to talent management and leveraged technology to drive process changes that increased efficiencies and improved the customer and associate experience.
"I'm incredibly excited to see Gisel's impact on the stores," said Simon. "She started in our stores, ran stores and, more importantly, understands the perspective of our associates like no one else on our leadership team. That's invaluable. For nearly 20 years, Gisel has proven herself to be a strong and capable operator, manager, teacher, retail executive and role model for our culture."
Ruiz began her career at Walmart U.S. as a store management trainee in 1992 and has held a variety of leadership positions in store operations, labor relations and human resources. In 2006, she became vice president, regional general manager in the field operations division, and was responsible for 150 Walmart stores in western
"Karenann has brought a wealth of experience to the organization, along with a technology foundation that will continue to serve Walmart well," said Ford. "She has embraced our mission and our values and has a passion for supporting our customers around the world. I'm confident that, in her new role, she will take Walmart's information systems division to a whole new level."
Prior to joining Walmart, Terrell was chief information officer of health care leader
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