After 32 Years With Walmart, Latriece Watkins Has Been Tapped To Lead As President And CEO Of Sam’s Club US – AfroTech
Latriece Watkins is among the newly elected leaders who are expected to drive Walmart Inc.’s next phase in retail.
According to a press release, Walmart is looking to improve in innovation, operations, and global enterprise platforms. As part of that strategy, the company announced several key leadership appointments, including Watkins, who was formerly the executive vice president (EVP) and chief merchandising officer for Walmart U.S.
Watkins joined Walmart in 1997 as an intern and rose through the ranks to hold various leadership roles across Sam’s Club, Walmart U.S. merchandising, People, and U.S. store operations, the press release notes. She is credited with transforming the assortment strategy for Walmart U.S.
Watkins has now been appointed as President and CEO of Sam’s Club U.S.
“What I love about Walmart is simple—it’s a place where people matter and opportunity lives. It’s a company built on serving others and creating impact in communities every single day,” she said in a statement shared on LinkedIn. “What’s special about Sam’s Club is the pride the associates take in serving members, the focus on value and quality, and the way teams show up for each other. There’s undeniable momentum here, and I’m honored to lead the next chapter by protecting and amplifying our culture, fully leveraging the power of our company, and winning omnichannel retail together and with intention. I look forward to what we’ll accomplish together.”
Walmart also announced several other key leadership appointments, per the press release. Seth Dallaire, currently EVP and chief growth officer for Walmart U.S., will assume the role of EVP and chief growth officer for Walmart Inc. David Guggina, EVP and chief ecommerce officer for Walmart U.S., will become president and CEO of Walmart U.S., while Chris Nicholas, president and CEO of Sam’s Club U.S., will take on the role of president and CEO of Walmart International.
“Over my 32 years with Walmart, I’ve seen that our people are our greatest competitive advantage. These internal promotions reflect our culture of opportunity and the depth of our leadership bench,” John Furner, incoming president and chief executive officer of Walmart Inc., said in the news release.
“These leadership changes also mark a key step in how we organize for the future. Even the best teams need the right structure to win. As AI rapidly reshapes retail, we are centralizing our platforms to accelerate shared capabilities, freeing up our operating segments to be more focused on and closer to our customers and members,” he continued.
All new executive hires will officially assume their roles on Feb. 1, 2026, notes the release.
