Bentonville-based retail giant Walmart announced on Jan. 16 that Latriece Watkins, EVP and chief merchandising officer for Walmart U.S., was named president and CEO of Sam’s Club U.S.
A native of McGehee, Watkins started her career with Walmart as an intern in 1997. Among her many successes, she reshaped the Walmart U.S. assortment strategy, drove operational excellence and ensured a consistent, trusted shopping experience. Watkins has held a wide range of leadership roles across Sam’s Club, Walmart U.S. merchandising, people and U.S. store operations.
Watkins has been widely recognized for her leadership and influence in the retail industry. She has been featured in Essence Magazine, named to FORTUNE Magazine’s “Ones to Watch” list and Mass Market Retailer’s Most Influential Women in Retail, and received the inaugural Madam C.J. Walker Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She was also inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2025.
The change is part of a leadership shuffle in the wake of last year’s announcement that John Furner would take over as president and chief executive officer of Walmart Inc. Via a release, Furner said the new executive leaders would help fuel innovation and drive a new era of retail.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Watkins will take over in her new role Feb. 1. Other executive changes announced Jan. 16 include:
- Seth Dallaire, EVP and chief growth officer for Walmart U.S., is being named EVP and chief growth officer for Walmart Inc.
- David Guggina, EVP and chief ecommerce officer for Walmart U.S., will become president and CEO of Walmart U.S.
- Chris Nicholas, president and CEO of Sam’s Club U.S., will succeed Kath McLay as president and CEO of Walmart International.
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