Walmart Inc. has appointed Erin Nealy Cox as EVP of global governance, chief legal officer and corporate secretary. She will assume the role on April 13.
Cox joins from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where she served as a partner in the Government, Regulatory & Internal Investigations Practice Group since 2021. She previously served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, leading federal investigations and prosecutions involving white-collar crime, national security, cybercrime and public corruption. She was appointed to and chaired the Attorney General’s advisory committee.
“To lead global governance for a company of our scale and complexity, you need a leader who has thrived in the most demanding environments. Erin is exactly that leader,” said John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart.
“She brings a rare combination of legal strategy and operational rigor that will be essential as we continue to navigate the new era of retail, while staying true to our purpose of helping people save money and live better.”
Before her U.S. Attorney appointment, Cox served as an executive managing director at Stroz Friedberg, a global cybersecurity and risk management firm, where she led its global incident response practice. Her earlier career included nearly a decade as an assistant U.S. attorney in the same district she later led.
“Walmart is a company defined not just by its scale, but by its heart; and I am honored to join the team at such a pivotal moment,” Cox said.
“Throughout my career in both the public and private sectors, I’ve found that the best strategies are always rooted in purpose. Walmart has a clear purpose, one I believe in deeply, and I’m excited to dive in and help our teams continue to serve our customers and members when, how and where they want.”
Cox’s portfolio is broad. Walmart’s Global Governance organization encompasses global legal, compliance, ethics, corporate governance, digital citizenship, enterprise risk management, litigation, aviation, investigations and corporate security, including the company’s Global Security Operations Center.
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