Walmart Names John Furner President & CEO of Walmart U.S.

Walmart announced that John Furner will become the President and CEO of Walmart U.S., starting November 1, to replace Greg Foran who is leaving the company after five years in that role.

Foran is taking over as CEO at Air New Zealand Limited, but will stay on with Walmart through January 31 to ensure a smooth transition. He has served as CEO of Walmart U.S. since August 2014, and he first joined Walmart in October 2011.

Furner, 45, was Sam’s Club CEO since 2017. He 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.

The new President and CEO of Walmart U.S. will report directly to Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon, the company said.

Related Article: Walmart Tests the Grocery Store of the Future

“John has done a fantastic job at Sam’s Club, and he will continue the momentum we have in Walmart U.S.,” said McMillon. “John knows our business well, having held many different jobs in the company over more than 25 years, and he is helping transform it for the future. He has the experience and judgment to know what we should continue doing and what we should change. He embraces technology and new ways of working, and he keeps our customers and Sam’s Club members at the center of everything we do, while delivering results for the business. I look forward to seeing his impact for our customers and associates in Walmart U.S.”

Furner will partner with Walmart U.S. e-Commerce CEO Marc Lore, who also reports to McMillon, to deliver a seamless omnichannel experience for Walmart’s U.S. customers.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity and ready to get started,” said Furner. “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.”

John Furner was one of the guest speakers at the Groceryshop19 Convention last September in Las Vegas.

Walmart gets two-thirds of its $514.4 billion in annual revenue from its roughly 4,700 U.S. stores and e-commerce operations. U.S. stores are also the profit engine of the company as it invests heavily to grow online., according to The Wall Street Journal.

The company will announce Furner’s successor as President and CEO of Sam’s Club at a later date.