Walmart nominates Google star to board
Walmart, a bastion of mass-market retailing, turned to one of the tech world's brightest female stars to beef up its board of directors Monday, nominating Google highflyer Marissa Mayer.
Heralding a fresh focus on online and mobile retailing, Walmart said the 36-year-old Google vice president would bring technology and consumer expertise as Walmart looks to retool.
"We are on the cusp of a massive transformation in the way people shop," said Walmart Chairman Rob Walton announcing Mayer's nomination, which will be considered at a June 1 shareholders meeting.
Walmart became the world's largest retailer by slashing supply and overhead costs and passing much of those savings on to the consumer.
It was an act that competitors, including mom and pop stores, found difficult to match.
But in recent years the company has seen fierce competition from online retailers like Amazon, which, without the cost of running physical stores, has been able to match or even beat Walmart to the sale.
"At Walmart, we are focused on giving our millions of customers around the globe 'anytime anywhere' access whether it is through a mobile device, online or in a physical store," said Walton.
Mayer, who is one of the tech world's best-known women, will bring a glut of IT know-how to the company.
She is currently responsible for local and maps business at Google. Before that she was responsible for search and user experience.
She was Google's first-ever female engineer.
"I look forward to contributing to Walmart's continued growth, success, and innovation in the years to come," she said in a statement.
(c) 2012 AFP
