Walmart hires DoJ’s number 3 for governance role

Walmart has hired Rachel Brand as executive vice president for global governance and corporate secretary. She will join the retail company on April 2, having relocated to Bentonville, Arkansas, after completing her service as associate attorney general – the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) third-ranking position.

In her new role, Brand will report to Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillon and be responsible for the company’s legal, global ethics & compliance and global investigation, security, aviation and travel departments, in addition to her responsibilities as corporate secretary.

She will succeed Jeff Gearhart, who retired at the end of January, according to Walmart.

Brand was the first woman to serve as associate attorney general at the DoJ having been confirmed by the Senate and sworn into office in May 2017. In that role, she oversaw thousands of attorneys and professionals across the department’s civil law divisions, including antitrust, tax and environment and natural resources.

She had previously served as assistant attorney general for the office of legal policy in the George W Bush administration and was appointed by former president Barack Obama to serve on the privacy and civil liberties oversight board.

‘We are fortunate to have a leader of Rachel Brand’s stature join the company,’ McMillon says in a statement. ‘We have strengthened our governance capabilities and Rachel will help us continue on that journey. Her strong character, capabilities and experience will enable her to contribute broadly as we shape the future of Walmart and strive to serve our customers even more effectively.’

A request for comment from the DoJ was not returned immediately.