Walmart China has appointed senior executive Maggie Sans to the new role of senior vice president and chief corporate affairs officer, according to Bloomberg.
The appointment is seen as a move towards improving Walmart China’s reputation, particularly in areas of food safety and sustainability.
“China is a critical market for us, and we must have the right people in place to lead our organisation on the policies and regulations which allow us to operate successfully in this market,” said Dan Bartlett, Walmart’s executive vice president of corporate affairs, in a memo circulated to employees on 6 February, according to the news site. “[Sans] will be responsible for elevating our corporate reputation in China and helping shape the political environment for our continued growth.”
Sans joined Walmart in 2004, working as vice president of public affairs and government relations before taking on the role as vice president international corporate affairs at the Arkansas-based headquarters.
Walmart China has come under scrutiny for its food safety practices in recent years, with allegations its stores were selling expired meat and reusing cooking oil in September last year. The global retailer has committed to investing Rmb300m (US$48m) to improving its food safety practices in its stores across China.
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