Walmart chief diversity officer to retire

Ben Hasan, 69, chief diversity officer officer at Walmart, is retiring at the end of the month. His replacement has yet to be named. The company plans to search for a new diversity officer with Kabir Kumar managing Walmart’s culture, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Donna Morris, chief people officer at Walmart, on Monday (July 11) sent the memo on Hasan’s retirement. He had worked in the role for 14 years.

“Ben has been a voice of hope and solidarity during difficult times. When the nation was rocked by the murder of George Floyd, the hate crimes in Georgia or the recent tragedy in Buffalo, Ben was there to offer support for our associates, thoughtful counsel and direct our company efforts,” Morris stated in the memo.

Hasan has served as the chief diversity officer since July 2015. He has been responsible for the ongoing evolution of the Walmart culture, development of behaviors that embrace diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels, and the promotion of Walmart’s external reputation as great place to work, according to the retailer.

He joined Walmart in 2008 and worked in the company’s technology division where he led  information systems strategy, communications, innovation, vendor management, business analysis and global tech services in India and Mexico.

Prior to joining Walmart, Hasan worked 11 years at Dell Inc., where he held several leadership positions before serving as vice president of corporate & product group information technology (IT) for teams in Texas, Shanghai, Taipei and Singapore.

Hasan is a board member for several national and local organizations, including the Walmart Foundation, Catalyst Board of Advisors, Ron Clark Academy (Atlanta), United Negro College Fund and Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce.