Walmart CMO Barbara Messing to depart

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart chief marketing officer Barbara Messing, who joined the company in July 2018, plans to leave at the end of this month.

Barbara Messing

Walmart’s marketing team will be reconfigured following Messing’s departure on August 30, according to published reports, which cited an internal memo from chief customer officer Janey Whiteside. Among the changes:

• Former Target and DreamWorks marketing executive Michael Francis, who has served as a consultant to Walmart since 2015, will come on full time to help with the transition of the retailer’s marketing operation.
• Walmart is seeking a new chief marketing officer, as well as a senior vice president of marketing.
• Walmart’s marketing operations team will report to Rich Lehrfeld, the company’s senior vice president of brand marketing, creative and media. Lehrfeld joined Walmart in June from American Express.
• The new marketing team at Walmart will include former Walmart CEO Mike Duke’s daughter Brittney Duke, who will serve as vice president for general merchandise marketing. Also on the team will be: David Echegoyen, who was named vice president of omni grocery, digital acceleration and services marketing in July; Ciara Anfield, who will serve as vice president of consumables marketing; Karissa Price, who will be vice president of health and wellness marketing; and Alvis Washington, who is vice president of store experience marketing.

Messing, who joined Walmart after serving as chief marketing officer at TripAdvisor, plans to return to the San Francisco Bay area.