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BENTONVILLE, Ark. — As chief people officer of Walmart, Donna Morris leads a team responsible for attracting, retaining and developing talent for the world’s largest retailer. Her people team supports Walmart’s 2.1 million associates worldwide and plays a leading role in the company’s people-led, tech-powered approach — continuing to put its people first as technology evolves. Under Morris’ leadership, Walmart and Sam’s Club were certified as a Great Place to Work in the U.S. in 2023, and in China and South Africa in 2022 and 2023.
Morris joined Walmart in February 2020 from Adobe, where she had worked for nearly 20 years and served as chief human resources officer and executive vice president of employee experience. A native of Ottawa, Canada, she graduated from Carleton University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. At Adobe, Morris held leadership roles in a company that has been an innovative leader in the digital transformation of work.
This experience equipped her perfectly for her present role at Walmart, where Morris’ team is focused on four core areas supporting associates:
• Driving digital transformation through a commitment to improving the work experience for as-sociates, removing friction and enabling greater access to personalized information by leveraging digital tools.
• Supporting associate growth by providing access to opportunities for all associates to learn new skills, have mobility and grow their career.
• Prioritizing the emotional, physical and financial well-being of associates.
• Building a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that fosters a sense of belonging for all.
Donna Morris
Morris’ work with Walmart led her to being named to the inaugural Forbes Future of Work 50 list, Mass Market Retailer’s Most Influential Women in Retailing, and a Top 100 HR Tech influencer by Human Resource Executive.
She discussed the company’s digital journey during Walmart’s keynote session at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. The company is focused on providing associates with digital tools that enable them to be more efficient and productive, and free up their time to focus on more human-centric activities such as idea generation, relationship building and strategy formulation.
“The roles, responsibilities and skills of our 2.1 million associates across the globe will continue to change,” Morris said. “They’ll be leveraging technology, but most importantly, our humanity, for impact.”
Examples include an in-house app called Me@Walmart, which enables associates to manage their career, stay informed about their earnings and manage personal finances, and so much more.
