Doug McMillon Wal-Mart

Doug McMillon

Wal-Mart has announced the promotion of Doug McMillon to the position of president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart International, the retail company’s second-largest operating segment.

Mr McMillon, currently president and CEO of Sam’s Club, will report to Mike Duke who was named to succeed Lee Scott as the company’s president and CEO. Both will assume their new roles 1 February, according to a company statement, while Mr McMillon’s successor at Sam’s Club will be named at a later date.

“Doug is joining Wal-Mart International at a time of strength and momentum,” said Mr Duke. “We have a strategy to win in all markets, and our international team is exceptionally strong across the board. We have never had a more talented group of regional leaders and country presidents. We will continue to focus on emerging markets with strong growth potential, as well as established markets that we believe have the potential to deliver consistently strong returns.

“It is exciting to promote a long-term associate to lead our second largest business. Doug began his Wal-Mart career as an hourly associate, unloading trucks at a distribution center, while he worked his way through college. In his 18 years with the company, Doug has learned the business from the bottom up, with leadership roles in all three operating divisions. One of the best things about this company is that, as we grow, we are able to offer broad career opportunities to our associates around the world,” said Mr Duke.

Mr McMillon said it is both “exciting and humbling” to join the team that is taking the Wal-Mart mission of saving people money so they can live better to customers around the world.

“Our strategy of focused execution, leveraging our global scale, our global commitment to low prices and the dedication of our associates positions us well for further success,” he explained.

Mr McMillon has a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and a Master’s of business administration from the University of Tulsa.