Walmart Names New Sam’s Club President And CEO: Meet Kathryn McLay

Walmart (WMT) has announced that Kathryn McLay will become the president and CEO of Sam’s Club, effective immediately. She is replacing John Furner, who was named president and CEO of Walmart U.S. in early October.

McLay comes to Sam’s Club from her previous position as executive vice president of Neighborhood Markets. Here, she oversaw nearly 700 stores in the U.S. She joined Walmart in 2015 as vice president of U.S. finance and strategy. She was then promoted to senior vice president of supply chain.

“Kath has a track record of success in every role she has taken on,” Doug McMillon, President and CEO of Walmart Inc. said. “Her ability to deliver results today, develop a vision for the future and lead the change necessary to achieve it is compelling. She is curious and courageous.

“Kath builds trust and is a servant leader. She understands the details of retail given her audit, supply chain and operational experience. John Furner and the Sam’s Club team have strengthened our foundation and built momentum. Kath will help build on that and take it to the next level. We look forward to seeing her contributions to this part of our business,” he added.

McLay came to Walmart from Deloitte, where she began her career in 1992. During her stay at Deloitte, she finished her business degree and her postgraduate studies in psychology at the University of Technology in Sydney.

From Deloitte, McLay moved to Qantas, where she was promoted to internal audit manager. She joined Woolworth’s in 2001 and has served in a number of retail and supply chain roles since that time.

McLay is married to her husband Jason, who she shares three children with. She moved from Australia to Bentonville, Arkansas, in 2015.

Shares of Walmart stock were down 1.28% as of 2:37 p.m. EST on Friday.