Brewer first female to lead Sam’s Club

Walmart’s Sam’s Club is breaking new ground appointing its first female chief executive officer in company history. Rosalind Brewer, 49, will replace Brian Cornell, 52, who is returning to the Northeast for family reasons, according to a company statement issued Friday morning (Jan. 20).

Also, Gilsel Ruiz, 41, will assume the duties as vice president and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S. She formerly worked as executive vice president of the People division, overseeing human resources and in-store innovations.

“This is great news to see females move up to high profile positions in Fortune 100 and 500 companies. We are slowly seeing the glass ceiling chipped away. But there is still lots of work to do. Ideally one day, it won’t be a surprise to see women get these executive appointments,” said Alan Ellstrand, business professor at the University of Arkansas. His expertise is in corporate governance and recruiting top management teams.

The announcement comes on the heels of a Supreme Court denial to hear a class action suit of gender discrimination suit brought by roughly one million female employees who said they were discriminated against in the workplace by local managers. The suit was sent back to the states.

“Although the suit won’t play out in a class action, I think Walmart is making a good faith effort to support executives within the company and give them an opportunity to rise to positions of great responsibility. It’s good to see Walmart’s continued efforts to display diversity,” Ellstrand said.

Walmart President and CEO Mike Duke noted in the release the promotions are clear evidence that Walmart’s succession and management development programs work. He said the company has highly talented, well-rounded and experienced business leaders ready to step into larger roles when the opportunities arise.

BREWER BACKGROUND
Brewer joined Walmart five years ago, and was most recently responsible for more than $100 billion in annual revenue, representing almost 1,600 stores and more than 500,000 workers.

Brewer was the first chairperson of the Walmart President's Council of Global Women Leaders. She also is a member of the Board of Directors of the Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT), chair of the Board of Trustees at her alma mater Spelman College. Brewer was selected one of the Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune Magazine in 2010 and 2011.

“I think this appointment is significant on many levels. Walmart’s organization is starting to reflect the diversity found in the customers they serve,” said Carol Spieckerman, president of New Market Builders, a retail strategy firm based in Bentonville.

She said for too long Walmart has had a reputation as “the good ole boys club” which isn’t a true assessment of their efforts to both develop local talent and more recently pursue outside top recruits.

Brewer came to Walmart with a background in consumer packaged goods at Kimberly Clark and quickly rose up the ranks. Duke credits her as 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,” Duke said.

CORNELL NOTES
Spieckerman said Cornell has been an effective leader and leaves Sam’s Club in great shape.

“In many respects Sam’s Club has been a shining star in the Walmart portfolio,” she said.

Duke applauded the work Cornell  has done for Sam's Club saying he is a strong, high-energy leader who has delivered great results and leaves behind a business with outstanding momentum.

“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,” Cornell said.

Other executive promotions include:
• Rollin Ford, 49 , will assume the duties as chief administrative officer, reporting directly to Duke.

Ford’s new job will include helping the company reduce expenses as they compare to sales over the next five years, according to the release. Ford  joined Walmart in 1983 as an hourly associate in the company’s logistics network and has held many positions over the years.

• Karenann Terrell, 50, was promoted to chief information officer for the company. She will be responsible for the company's global technology systems including stores and clubs, supply chain, merchandising and enterprise platforms. Terrell was most recently Walmart's assistant chief information officer and will continue reporting to Ford.