Walmart announced its board has elected new leaders to the company’s Executive Council and outlined a series of senior leadership moves that will take effect February 1, 2026, as incoming President and CEO John Furner prepares to take the helm.
The changes elevate several longtime executives into broader enterprise roles and reshuffle leadership across Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club U.S., as the retailer moves to centralize key platforms it says will help accelerate innovation in an AI-driven retail environment.
Under the new structure, Seth Dallaire, currently executive vice president and chief growth officer for Walmart U.S., will become executive vice president and chief growth officer for Walmart Inc. In the expanded role, Dallaire will oversee global enterprise platforms, including Walmart Connect and digital advertising, Walmart+, Walmart Data Ventures, Vizio, Sam’s Club Member Access Platform, and a global Marketplace platform.
David Guggina, executive vice president and chief eCommerce officer for Walmart U.S., will become president and CEO of Walmart U.S. The company credited Guggina with helping build delivery capabilities that now reach 95% of U.S. households in under three hours, positioning him to continue Walmart’s push to be “America’s favorite place to shop.”
Chris Nicholas, president and CEO of Sam’s Club U.S., will become president and CEO of Walmart International, succeeding Kath McLay. Walmart said Nicholas brings significant international experience, having lived and worked in more than 10 countries, and previously served in senior operating and finance roles across Walmart U.S. and Walmart International.
Latriece Watkins, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer for Walmart U.S., will become president and CEO of Sam’s Club U.S. Walmart said Watkins, who began her career at the company as an intern in 1997, has led key merchandising and assortment initiatives and has held leadership roles spanning Sam’s Club, merchandising, people, and store operations.
Walmart framed the moves as part of a broader effort to align leadership and organizational design with evolving customer expectations and rapid technology change, while allowing operating segments to stay closer to customers and members.
KEY QUOTE:
“Over my 32 years with Walmart, I’ve seen that our people are our greatest competitive advantage. These internal promotions reflect our culture of opportunity and the depth of our leadership bench. These leadership changes also mark a key step in how we organize for the future. Even the best teams need the right structure to win. As AI rapidly reshapes retail, we are centralizing our platforms to accelerate shared capabilities, freeing up our operating segments to be more focused on and closer to our customers and members.”
John Furner, Incoming President And Chief Executive Officer, Walmart Inc.
