Walmart U.S. Chief Marketing Officer Barbara Messing is stepping down as of Aug. 30, according to an internal memo provided to AdAge. Some of her duties will be handled temporarily by Michael Francis, a consultant for the retail giant who will join the Retail Marketing team full-time as the company searches for a permanent replacement.
Messing joined Walmart last August alongside Chief Customer Officer Janey Whiteside, who wrote the memo. Whiteside said that Messing is leaving the company to “return to the Bay Area with her family,” and credited her for “memorable and effective creative campaigns that reached our customers in new and unexpected ways.”
Walmart’s search won’t be limited to finding a new CMO: the retailer plans to hire an SVP of Retail Marketing as well, according to the memo. This person will head up the new Retail Marketing team, which will include:
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- Brittney Duke, VP of General Merchandise and Marketing;
- David Echegoyen, VP of Omni Grocery, Digital Marketing and Services Marketing; and
- Alvis Washington, VP of Store Experience Marketing.
The retailer’s overall marketing team has been rounded out by several new appointments and promotions in the past several months, including the addition of Rich Lehrfeld as VP of Brand Marketing, Creative and Media. Additionally, Ciara Anfield is being promoted to VP for Consumables Marketing, and Karissa Price to Senior Director of Health and Wellness Marketing.
