BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Over the course of a Walmart career that has spanned more than 20 years, Annie Walker has risen through a succession of merchandising roles with a focus on replenishment and inventory management and supply chain efficiency.
Walker joined the retailer in 2002 after graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) with a degree in industrial engineering. She worked in engineering roles for two years before transitioning to the position of replenishment manager, supporting first candy and then the toy category.
In an interview last year Walker pointed out that engineering involves looking for ways to enhance efficiency and productivity, and that focus served her well as a replenishment manager and then director for several categories across the store.
In 2012, Walker was promoted to vice president of merchandise execution for the apparel, home and general merchandise businesses. In 2020 she was promoted again, to senior VP of merchandise operations for apparel. She assumed her current position, senior VP of merchandise operations for food, in January 2024.
Walker and her team work directly with suppliers to find ways to innovate together and maintain a sharp focus on the customer. As part of its Supplier Growth Forum, Walmart last year invited suppliers to two of its newer distribution centers in Texas to brief them on Walmart’s supply chain technology advances.
“We had a great day sharing our automation journey and the future of our network,” Walker posted on LinkedIn.
