Walmart Canada Names New CEO

Walmart Canada hired Dirk Van den Berghe as president and CEO, replacing Shelley Broader who was recently promoted by the retail giant to a CEO role that oversees retail operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Canada.

Van den Berghe will assume his new position effective Aug. 1 and will report to Broader. He holds 30 years of international experience across Europe, Asia and the United States and joins Wal-Mart from the Delhaize Group, a global food retailer where most recently he was CEO for the company’s Belgium and Luxembourg operations.

“We’re very pleased Dirk will be leading Walmart Canada as we celebrate 20 amazing years of saving Canadians money so they can live better,” said Broader. “Under Dirk’s leadership, Delhaize has been successful in several countries, and his vast experience will allow us to strengthen our growing food business in Canada and complements our highly-successful general merchandise operation. One of Walmart’s greatest strengths is having exceptional leaders to drive our continued growth, and Dirk is a prime example of this talent.”

Van den Berghe has two decades of experience teaching international business at universities across Europe, Asia and the United States, and more than a decade of experience as an international trade commissioner for the Government of Belgium.

“Walmart Canada is a remarkable and intensely customer-focused business with a track record of growth and performance,” Van den Berghe said. “I’m honored to have the privilege to lead this dynamic business and team and serve our customers through Walmart’s nearly 400 stores in Canada and its online business.”

He holds a doctorate in economics from Sofia University in Bulgaria and speaks seven languages including English, French and Dutch. Van den Berghe and his family will relocate from Belgium to the Toronto area.