Wal-Mart has promoted Judith McKenna to the position of chief operating officer. She succeeds Gisel Ruiz who becomes executive vice president of Wal-Mart International People Division. The move forms part of an ongoing reshuffle of senior management in the US under CEO Greg Foran since he took the role in August.
Foran has faced pressure to improve the results at the retailer, which has seen its US profits hit in the past two years. McKenna, who has been with Wal-Mart for almost 20 years, will be in charge of the company’s small store formats, developing new formats, expanding the retailer’s services and integrating digital commerce into its 4,300 US stores, Wal-Mart said in a press release.
“At her core, Judith is a retailer who has made major contributions to our business throughout her career,’ said Foran. “It’s exciting to bring her skill sin managing store operations, small format growth, logistics and e-commerce to an expanded role in our US operations. Her knowledge of global best practices and her success in leading our associates around the world will help drive our Wal-Mart US business forward.”
In previous roles, McKenna has been in charge of developing the retailer’s international division and she was formerly COO of Wal-Mart’s UK operation Asda.
