MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 20, 2014 /CNW/ - Walmart Canada announced today the appointment of Dirk Van den Berghe as president and CEO. Mr. Van den Berghe will assume his new role effective August 1 and will report to Shelley Broader who was recently promoted to president and CEO of Walmart's EMEA Region which encompasses the retailer's operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Canada.
Mr. Van den Berghe holds 30 years of international experience across Europe, Asia and the United States. He joins Walmart from the Delhaize Group, a leading global food retailer with operations in eight countries and three continents where most recently he was CEO for the company's Belgium and Luxembourg operations.
"We're very pleased Dirk will be leading Walmart Canada as we celebrate 20 amazing years of saving Canadians money so they can live better," said Ms. Broader. "Under Dirk's leadership, Delhaize has been successful in several countries, and his vast experience will allow us to strengthen our growing food business in Canada and complements our highly-successful general merchandise operation. One of Walmart's greatest strengths is having exceptional leaders to drive our continued growth, and Dirk is a prime example of this talent."
"Walmart Canada is a remarkable and intensely customer-focused business with a track record of growth and performance," said Mr. Van den Berghe. "I'm honoured to have the privilege to lead this dynamic business and team and serve our customers through Walmart's nearly 400 stores in Canada and its online business walmart.ca.
I look forward to working with our 95,000 fantastic Canadian associates to continue to build on this success."
In addition to his extensive international retail background, Mr. Van den Berghe has two decades of experience teaching international business at universities across Europe, Asia and the United States, and more than a decade of experience as an international trade commissioner for the Government of Belgium. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from Sofia University in Bulgaria and speaks seven languages including English, French and Dutch. Mr. Van den Berghe and his family will relocate from Belgium to the Toronto area.
About Walmart Canada
Walmart Canada operates a growing chain of 391 stores nationwide serving more than 1.2 million customers each day. Walmart Canada's flagship online store, www.walmart.ca, is visited by 300,000 customers daily. With more than 95,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is ranked one of the country's top 10 most influential brands. Walmart Canada's extensive philanthropy program is focused on supporting Canadian families in need, and since 1994 Walmart has donated and raised more than $200 million to Canadian charities. Additional information can be found at walmartcanada.ca, facebook.com/walmartcanada and at twitter.com/walmartcanada.
Image with caption: "Dirk Van den Berghe has been appointed President and CEO of Walmart Canada (CNW Group/Walmart Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140620_C8125_PHOTO_EN_41612.jpg
SOURCE: Walmart Canada
Contacts:
Canada media: Andrew Pelletier, 905-821-2111 x74585
International media: Kevin Gardner, 479-273-4314
Investors: Carol Schumacher, 479-277-1498
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