BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart Inc. announced Thursday that Erin Nealy Cox will become Walmart’s next Executive Vice President of Global Governance, Chief Legal Officer (CLO), and Corporate Secretary. Cox is set to start on April 13, 2026.
“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 Walmart President and Chief Executive Officer John Furner. “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.”
Cox joins Walmart from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where she has been a partner in the Government, Regulatory & Internal Investigations Practice Group since 2021. She previously served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, leading a wide range of federal investigations and prosecutions, including cases involving white-collar crime, national security, cybercrime, and public corruption. She was appointed to and chaired the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee.
Before her appointment as U.S. Attorney, Cox was an Executive Managing Director at Stroz Friedberg, a global cybersecurity and risk management firm, where she led its worldwide incident response practice. Her earlier career also included nearly ten years serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the same district where she later served as U.S. Attorney. Cox earned her J.D. from SMU Dedman School of Law and her B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.
“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,” said Erin Nealy Cox. “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.”
Walmart’s Global Governance organization includes global legal, compliance, ethics, corporate governance, digital citizenship, enterprise risk management, litigation, aviation, investigations, and corporate security, including Walmart’s Global Security Operations Center.
