Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT, ETR:WMT) shares ticked up on Tuesday after the retail giant named Venessa Yates as the new head of its Canadian division.
She would succeed Gonzalo Gebara as chief executive and president in the “coming weeks,” a statement said on Tuesday.
Having held various leadership roles at the likes of Woolworths and Aldi, Yates has worked at Walmart since 2016 and been senior vice president of its membership programme most recently.
Gebara’s departure in February was set to mark an end to his 25-year career at Walmart, the statement added, as he returned to Argentina.
“Venessa is a tremendous retail leader with experience in multiple countries and functions,” regional head of Walmart Canada, Chile, Mexico and Central America Guilherme Loureiro said.
“She is the right person to continue to drive Walmart Canada's growth trajectory and its transformation to become the country's leading omnichannel retailer.”
Yates added: “The Canadian business, with its 100,000 associates and impressive 30-year history, has always been a source of pride. We're currently in growth mode and I'm excited about our future.”
Walmart Inc shares climbed 1.6% to US$93.41 on Tuesday.