John Furner replaces Greg Foran as CEO of Walmart U.S.

Walmart has announced that John Furner will become the President and Chief Executive Officer of Walmart U.S., following a successful five years for the business segment under Greg Foran. Furner will report directly to Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon, and the move will be effective November 1. Foran, the company said is taking a role as CEO at Air New Zealand Limited and will stay on with Walmart through January 31, 2019.

“John has done a fantastic job at Sam’s Club, and he will continue the momentum we have in Walmart U.S.,” said McMillon in a statement, adding, “Greg Foran has made a huge difference for Walmart, and we are grateful. He built a strong plan from the beginning to strengthen the U.S. business – a plan that made significant choices around investing in wages and benefits for associates and investing in price for customers. The results have been impressive – every quarter he led Walmart U.S. it has had positive comps.”

John Furner to take up CEO role at Walmart U.S.

Furner, 45, the company added, started with Walmart as an hourly associate in 1993, working part-time in the garden center of a supercenter. He worked his way up through a number of frontline leadership roles, later becoming a store manager, district manager and buyer. He has held leadership roles in operations, merchandising and sourcing in Walmart U.S., Sam’s Club and Walmart International, where he served at Walmart China as chief merchandising and marketing officer. Prior to becoming Sam’s Club CEO in 2017, he was chief merchandising officer for Sam’s Club. The company further said that Furner will partner with Walmart U.S. ecommerce CEO Marc Lore, who also reports to McMillon, to deliver a seamless omnichannel experience for Walmart’s U.S. customers.

“There’s no better place than Walmart U.S. to touch the lives of millions of customers and associates. Together with the team, we will build on the progress under Greg’s leadership and continue to make Walmart an even better place to work and shop,” added Furner.

Picture:Walmart newsroom