John Furner started as an hourly worker at Walmart; decades later, he will lead 2.1 million employees as CEO

John Furner, who will take on the role of Walmart’s CEO in January, was once stocking shelves as an hourly wager when he joined the mega-retailer.

Now, the largest company in the United States by revenue is counting on him to guide its operations into a new era.

Furner was announced as Walmart’s new CEO after current CEO Doug McMillon said he would retire early next year after transforming America’s largest retailer into a tech-enabled giant and leading a period of strong sales growth since 2014.

After Donald Trump’s Presidency and subsequent tariffs and other economic policies, the onus now falls on John Furner to lead Walmart through the new challenges facing retailers over the past 11 months.

“John understands every aspect of our business, from the sales floor to global strategy. He has proven he can deliver results while living our values,” Greg Penner, Walmart’s executive chairman, said in a statement.

Who is Walmart’s new CEO, John Furner?

John Furner started working at Walmart in 1993, stocking shelves in the garden center at the company’s store in Bentonville, Arkansas. He will now lead a force of 2.1 million employees and the company’s approximately 11,000 stores in 19 countries.

Furner is a marketing management graduate from the University of Arkansas.

After joining as an hourly employee, Furmer worked her way up the ranks at Walmart from store manager to district manager to buyer. He then moved to the corporate side as division general manager and vice president of global sourcing.

John Furner most recently served as president and CEO of Sam’s Club and then Walmart US.

His work at Walmart earned him McMillion recognition.

“He loves this company and its partners, understands our business very well, and has the right traits to lead us into the future. He is a trader, an operator, an innovator, and a builder,” he said in a post on LinkedIn.

Since taking charge of Walmart US in 2019, Furner has led the launch of key initiatives, including Walmart, the company’s premium membership program, and advertising, new revenue streams that he says will reshape the company’s future.

By investing in wages, it increased the average hourly wage to over $17. He also modernized the company’s warehouses and distribution centers to enable faster deliveries and was instrumental in growing Walmart’s advertising business, Walmart Connect, into a $4 billion operation since its founding in 2021.