- Bob Hakeem Appointed Chief Operations Officer, Walmart Canada
Mississauga, ON, June 27, 2016 – Walmart Canada today announced the appointment of Lee Tappenden, Chief Operations Officer, Walmart Canada to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer, Walmart Canada, effective August 15. Tappenden joined Walmart in 1996 and has held a number of global leadership roles with the company, including Chief Merchandising Officer with Walmart Japan and Vice President of Merchandising for the International Division.
After joining the Walmart Canada
leadership team in 2010 as Senior Vice President, Merchandise Operations,
Tappenden also served as Chief Merchandising Officer. He sits on the Board of
Governors for the Children’s Miracle Network, a non-profit organization
dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children at 170 hospitals across
North America. Tappenden will report to David Cheesewright, President and Chief
Executive Officer, Walmart International.
"Lee
is extremely well poised to lead Walmart Canada and continue the momentum of growth
we are seeing in this market,” said David Cheesewright, President and Chief
Executive Officer, Walmart International. “He has demonstrated outstanding
leadership throughout his career with Walmart internationally in both
merchandising and operations, but he also brings to the role a real passion and
heart for our associates and customers. Lee is the kind of person who genuinely
cares about the well-being of the people who work in and shop at our stores
every day – and that’s one of the things that make him an incredibly special
leader,” he said.
“I’ve
had the privilege of getting to know the team at Walmart Canada over the past six
years,” said Tappenden. “Together, we have seen significant growth of our business,
including a focus on fresh food and investments in eCommerce. I look forward to
leading the team as we embark on an exciting time for our business and for our
customers,” he said.
With
today’s announcement, Bob Hakeem, Chief Administrative Officer, Walmart Canada
will assume the role of Chief Operations Officer. After joining Walmart Canada
in 2008 as Senior Vice President for the Walmart Canada People Division, Hakeem
was named Executive Vice President, Human Resources in 2012. He has played an
important role in developing talent and bench strength in the organization,
while also helping guide the business through the introduction of Supercenters
and other major changes in the market. Hakeem brings to the role more than 25
years of business experience and is an executive board member for the Retail
Council of Canada.
About Walmart Canada
Walmart Canada operates a growing chain of more than 400 stores nationwide
serving more than 1.2 million customers each day. Walmart Canada's flagship
online store, walmart.ca is visited by 600,000 customers
daily. With more than 95,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's
largest employers and is ranked one of the country's top 10 most influential
brands. Walmart is committed to generating zero waste, being supplied by 100
per cent renewable energy and offering customers products that are produced
responsibly. Walmart Canada's extensive philanthropy program is focused on
supporting Canadian families in need, and since 1994 Walmart has raised and
donated more than $250 million to Canadian charities. Additional information
can be found at walmartcanada.ca.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live
better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their
mobile devices. Each week, nearly 260 million customers and members visit our
11,527 stores under 63 banners in 28 countries and e-commerce websites in 11
countries. With fiscal year 2016 revenue of $482 billion, Walmart employs more
than 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in
sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional
information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available
at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.
Media Contact:
Anika Malik, anika.malik@walmart.com, 416.562.8193
Corporate Affairs, Walmart
Canada