Walmart names Judy Werthauser chief people officer

Walmart U.S.  has named Judy Werthauser executive vice president and chief people officer.

In her new role, Werthauser will lead strategies that focus on career growth and associate opportunity, along with prioritizing well-being, driving a culture of belonging, and enhancing digital ways of working, the company said.

She succeeds Julie Murphy, who retired from Walmart after 37 years.

Werthauser comes to Walmart from Five Below where she was executive vice president and chief experience officer. Past positions include serving as EVP and chief people officer at Domino’s; senior vice president at Target; senior vice president of human resources at U.S. Bank; and vice president, human resources, at Marshall Field’s/Macy’s North.

In conjunction with her move to Walmart, Werthauser also resigned from the board of directors of BJ’s Wholesale Club.

Werthauser served on BJ’s board since November 2018, and most recently was chair of the compensation committee and a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee. With her departure, the board intends for Chris Peterson to join the compensation committee and Ken Parent to be committee chair, the company said.

“Judy has brought a deep knowledge of omni-channel retail and building strong team member cultures, which have been critical drivers of our growth,” Chris Baldwin, BJ’s board chairman, said in a statement. BJ’s added that the board intends to identify a new director “in due course.”

Walmart’s hiring of Werthauser is the latest in a line of executive changes at the company.

In 2022, John Rainey was named executive vice president and chief financial officer. Rainey joined Walmart from PayPal where he was CFO and EVP, global customer operations. He replaced Brett Biggs, who remained with Walmart as an advisor until last month.

Also last year, Charles Redfield, executive vice president of food at Walmart U.S., was promoted to EVP and chief merchandising officer following the retirement of Scott McCall.

Casey Carl, executive vice president and Walmart U.S. chief e-commerce officer, also retired last year and was replaced by Tom Ward, senior vice president of last-mile delivery.

In addition, Janey Whiteside, executive vice president and chief customer officer for Walmart U.S., left the company last year and is now partner and chief executive officer of Consello Growth and Business Development.