After a nearly 30-year career with the company, Kieran Shanahan is stepping down as chief operating officer for Walmart’s U.S. business. The executive will stay on through the end of the fiscal year in an advisory role to Walmart U.S. CEO David Guggina, according to an internal company memo shared with Retail Dive on Friday.
Kyle Kinnard has taken over the executive vice president and COO role for Walmart U.S., effective immediately. Kinnard has been with the retailer for over 25 years and most recently served as COO for Walmart International.
”Kyle’s proven track record is matched only by his dedication to servant leadership and his passion for coaching the next generation of Walmart leaders,” the memo from Guggina and Walmart International CEO Chris Nicholas said.
In his new role, Kinnard will continue serving as chair on the board of directors for Walmart de México y Centroamérica. His move to the U.S. business means Juan Galarraga has been promoted to executive vice president and regional general manager for the Latin America business within Walmart International, per the memo.
Galarraga joined Walmart in 2024 as senior vice president of acceleration and support for Walmart U.S. operations. The retailer plans to announce the leader of its global platform acceleration team in the coming weeks.
The news — which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal — follows several leadership changes at Walmart Inc. since John Furner took over the chief executive officer position earlier this year.
Furner reorganized the company’s core C-suite in January, which included the appointments of Guggina and Nicholas. The departures of Sam’s Club Chief Operating Officer Tom Ward and Cedric Clark, chief of store operations at Walmart, were announced in May.
