Venessa Yates appointed president and CEO of Walmart Canada
Walmart Canada today announced Venessa Yates would become its new president CEO, in the coming weeks and pending authorizations.
"Venessa is a tremendous retail leader with experience in multiple countries and functions," said Guilherme Loureiro, regional CEO, Walmart Canada, Chile, Mexico and Central America. "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 has worked with Walmart since 2016. Most recently, she served as the senior vice-president and general manager of Walmart+, the company's membership program. With a wealth of retail experience, Venessa has assumed various leadership positions at prominent retailers worldwide, such as Walmart, Woolworths, and ALDI Stores.
"I'm thrilled to be joining the Walmart Canada team," said Yates. "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."
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The company announced that after a 25-year career at Walmart, Gonzalo Gebara, the current Walmart president and CEO, will be leaving the company at the end of February in order to return to Argentina to be with his family and pursue other interests.
During his time with Walmart Canada, Gebara has played a critical role in accelerating Walmart Canada's transformation towards becoming the leading omnichannel retailer in the country.
"I want to personally thank Gonzalo and his family for their 25 years of service," said Loureiro.
In addition to Yates, the company announced that Steve Schrobilgen is joining the company as chief operating officer, end to end, overseeing operations, supply chain, real estate and format, pending authorizations.
Schrobilgen currently serves as the senior vice-president, business unit leader for Walmart in the Western U.S., a role he assumed in 2023.
