Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Greg Foran (pictured), a fast-rising executive at the retailer’s Asia operations, will take over as head of its US division for Bill Simon, who is leaving the company.
Foran, 53, will replace Simon as US chief executive officer on 9 August, the Arkansas-based company said in a statement. Foran has only served in his current role as head of the Asia business since June, when he was elevated from CEO of Wal-Mart China.
Simon, 54, had been a contender to be CEO of the whole company before Wal-Mart picked Doug McMillon as its next leader. McMillon, who took the top job in February, was closer to the Walton family, which controls most of Wal-Mart’s shares, people familiar with the situation have said. Simon will remain available as a consultant for the next six months to help with the transition, Wal-Mart said.
“This felt like the right time to move on and focus on my next opportunity,” Simon said in the statement.
In taking over the US division, Foran will oversee a much larger piece of the world’s largest retailer -- though one that’s contending with sluggish growth. The US performance contributed to lower-than-projected sales and profit in Wal-Mart’s most recently reported quarter, which ended 30 April. At the time, Wal-Mart also forecast second-quarter profits that missed estimates.
Smaller Stores
Foran, a New Zealander, will be tasked with continuing Wal-Mart’s push into smaller-format stores, an effort begun under Simon. The US division is also trying to integrate its e-commerce business with bricks-and-mortar sales.
Foran will receive a salary of $950,000, along with an incentive plan earning him as much as 300 per cent of that pay, or about $2.9 million. He is also eligible for an annual equity award with a target value of about $4.9 million, plus $1.63 million in restricted shares, and a $500,000 one-time cash payment.
Foran has more than 30 years of retail experience in operations, merchandising and marketing. He previously headed Woolworths Ltd’s supermarket division and held other senior roles at the Sydney-based company, including general manager of the Big W chain of discount stores.
China Management
Foran joined Wal-Mart in 2011 and became head of the China business in 2012. He was tapped for the Asia CEO job after revamping operations, pricing and product assortment in the Chinese stores. Wal-Mart said that it will announce its new Asia chief at a later date.
The reshuffling follows the appointment of a new chief for Walmart.com last month and the promotion of Canadian CEO Shelley Broader to a job overseeing Europe, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa in May.
Last month, Wal-Mart also named board member Greg Penner to the new role of vice-chairman, putting him in position to be a successor to chairman Rob Walton. Penner, 44, is Walton’s son-in-law and has served on the board since 2008.
Simon, who ran the US operation since June 2010, first joined Wal-Mart in 2006 from Brinker International Inc., the restaurant chain that owns Chili’s. He also had served as secretary of the Florida Department of Management Services, appointed by then-Governor Jeb Bush.
Bloomberg News, edited by ESM
