That recognizes the importance of Executives having technology competencies for success in an increasingly digital world
When Walmart announced that David Guggina, the U.S. E-commerce Chief Executive, would become CEO of its nearly $500 billion U.S. division, one thing stood out in his résumé – Guggina has no experience running stores and has never held a merchandising role, at Walmart or elsewhere ! Traditionally and like his predecessors, these were basic job requirements in retail. Another person with a new path to the top is incoming Walmart CEO John Furner (Walmart Inc’s new CEO), who has run U.S. operations since 2019, began his Walmart career as an hourly associate in 1993, and held roles in merchandising, operations, and sourcing.
These changes are occurring because there is other experiences and competencies that Guggina does have in spades : e-commerce, automation, and supply chain. And by putting him atop the division that generates 69 % of company revenue, Walmart is signaling that it now sees itself as a tech company as well as a retailer. Guggina has spent 8 years at Walmart, after 9 years at arch-rival Amazon.com. In the announcement, Walmart highlighted Guggina’s work in building delivery capabilities to serve 95 % of U.S. households in under 3 hours. Further, his promotion “ positions him to continue to drive the Walmart goal of ” being America’s favorite place to shop ”.
In the last decade, after years of fits and starts, Walmart has emerged as a formidable e-commerce player, with U.S. digital sales of almost $100 billion a year. While far behind Amazon, they’re well ahead of any other U.S. retailer. In its most recent quarter, Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce rose 27% as a result of billions in investments to integrate Walmart’s 4,600 stores with its e-commerce operations. This has helped ensure faster shipping while also integrating technology more effectively into things like inventory management, supply chain, and in-store customer service. With this and getting better at business innovation, Guggina was instrumental in those achievements, and reported to Furner.
“ This is a unique moment in retail,” Guggina said in a LinkedIn post about his appointment. Further, “ AI is changing how people shop, and with Customer expectations higher than ever, no one is more prepared to usher in the next era of retail than Walmart.”
The timing of Guggina’s promotion was fitting since It came soon after Walmart moved its shares from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq exchange – where tech giants such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft list their shares. In December, Walmart said the move underscores its “ technology-forward approach.”
Guggina isn’t the only person with a background in technology whose star is rising at Walmart. The company also appointed Seth Dallaire chief growth officer for Walmart U.S. with the objective of pushing Walmart U.S. further beyond traditional retail into tech-heavy lines of business – including its booming advertising, media, and online marketplace ventures. Dallaire is a veteran of Instacart and Amazon.
Walmart is considered by analysts to be well ahead of other retailers in AI-assisted shopping. An example of this is Walmart announcing a partnership with OpenAI to enable shoppers to browse and buy products directly inside ChatGPT, using a built-in Walmart instant checkout feature. Further, Walmart and Google recently announced their own shopping tool. As well, Walmart’s executive vice president for AI acceleration, product and design, Daniel Danker, indicated at a conference that the company is developing an auto-ordering platform for the replenishment of staples.
Interestingly, bolstering Walmart’s tech and AI capabilities have also bolstered the company’s stock – in the last year Walmart shares have risen 27 %, double the S&P 500’s growth and trouncing Amazon’s 1% increase.
From this, it’s easy to see the importance of those responsible for strategy and improving business outcomes having the digital competencies, insights and mindset needed to determine where there are new opportunities, what new capabilities and services are needed to get there, is effective at managing change and delivering new value, is accomplished at getting results and leading the organization forward. And for those organizations struggling with this, don’t be surprised by the significant challenges ahead – as witnessed by the significant changes in the Fortune 500 list over time !
Jan 27, 2026 By Phil Wahba / Fortune Magazine CAIL Innovation Insights
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