Retail giant Walmart recently announced that it has promoted Sameer Aggarwal to Chief Executive Officer of Best Price, Walmart India w.e.f April 1, 2020. Post his promotion, Aggarwal will directly report to Dirk Van Den Berghe, Executive Vice-President and Regional CEO of Asia and Global Sourcing, Walmart.
Aggarwal is taking over the CEO position from Krish Iyer, who is retiring from full-time management and will assume the role of an advisor to Best Price, Walmart India after a successful eight years with the company.
Talking about Sameer’s appointment, Dirk Van Den Berghe said, “Sam has done a fantastic job in the past two years. He led the charge to make our proposition more customer-centric, developing digital offerings to prepare for our omnichannel services in the future. He has a keen ability to understand complex situations and take decisive action to accelerate our business. He’s also a strong people leader who exemplifies our Walmart values of service, respect, excellence, and integrity. I look forward to seeing him make a greater impact on our Best Price members and associates in India.”
Aggarwal has more than two decades of experience across industries in general management, strategy, finance and mergers and acquisitions in various countries, the company said on its website.
In his most recent assignment, he was working as the Chief Finance, Development and Supply Chain Officer for KFC Thailand. Prior to KFC, Sam (Sameer Aggarwal) worked with Sainsbury’s in its UK and China operations as Head of Strategy and then Executive Assistant to the CEO to assist with the CEO transition. Sam has also worked with McKinsey & Company UK and Australia as Associate Partner leading projects globally across various sectors and functions for over seven years.
Aggarwal holds an MBA degree from the London Business School and is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Aggarwal joined Walmart India in April 2018 as Executive Vice President overseeing strategy and administration and was promoted to Deputy CEO in January 2020.
“I greatly appreciate the opportunity to lead our business in one of Walmart’s most important markets,” said Aggarwal. “I look forward to continuing to work with the outstanding team we have here to ensure Best Price, Walmart India remains a great place to work and a great partner to our members and suppliers. We have thrived under Krish’s leadership and I am grateful for all he has done to build the Best Price Walmart brand in India and strengthen relationships with our key stakeholders.”
“Thanks to Krish’s years of leadership, Walmart has built a solid foundation for our cash-and-carry business in India. With best-in-class talent, strong corporate governance, a progressive digital mindset and close integration with local communities throughout India, we are well placed for the future,” Van den Berghe added.
“It has been an honor to lead the Best Price team at Walmart India,” said Iyer. “It is bittersweet to leave Walmart, but I am confident that Sam will be able to take the business to the next level.”
Iyer will work with Aggarwal until June 30 to ensure a smooth transition. Following this, he will remain in an advisory role to ensure Walmart continues to benefit from his wealth of experience.
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