Brian Cornell has been unveiled as the new president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart's members-only warehouse operating president Sam's Club, a role he will step into on 3 April.
Mr Cornell will step into the role vacated by Doug McMillan, who became president and CEO of Wal-Mart international on 1 February this year, and will report to Wal-Mart Stores Inc CEO Mike Duke.
'In searching for our new Sam's Club CEO, we wanted a leader who is strong, talented and people-oriented,' said Mr Duke. 'We also wanted someone with broad experience in retail management, food merchandising and consumer product marketing. Above all, we looked for a leader who would live up to our brand and our culture – we found all of these things in Brian.'
Mr Cornell, who recently served as CEO of arts and crafts merchandise group Michael's Stores Inc, has over 20 years experience in the industry including roles as executive vice-president and chief marketing officer for Safeway.
'I am excited to join the Wal-Mart family and have the opportunity to lead an organisation like Sam's Club,' said Mr Cornell. 'It's truly an honour to succeed a terrific leader like Doug and I look forward to continuing a strong strategic direction for the business.
'I am committed to remaining relentlessly focussed on serving our members needs, delivering value through merchandise quality and enhancing the member shopping experiences.'