Carl Douglas McMillon was born in 1966 in Memphis, Tennessee. When he was 16, his family moved to 'the birthplace of Walmart' — Bentonville, Arkansas. During the summer, McMillon worked at the Walmart distribution center unloading trucks.
Bentonville, Arkansas, the birthplace of Walmart.
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After graduating from the local public high school, McMillon set off for the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He graduated in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. His Instagram bio, "Husband. Father. Razorback. Gadget geek. Retail lifer. Proud Walmart associate," nods to the university's mascot, a razorback hog known as "Big Red."
Doug McMillon's University of Arkansas '89 yearbook picture
University of Arkansas Libraries Special Collections
The next year, McMillon enrolled in the University of Tulsa's MBA program. While completing his studies, he started working in the athletic department of a local Walmart as a buyer trainee. Soon after, McMillon made the move to the Walmart headquarters back in his Arkansas hometown.
McMillon has worked across food, apparel, home furnishing, baby food, and more, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. He worked as a general merchandise manager at Sam's Club (Walmart's wholesale store) and climbed to a senior VP at Walmart overseeing toys, electronics, and sporting goods.
In 2006, McMillon got his first truly high-profile job in the company, as CEO of Sam's Club. According to The Wall Street Journal, that's where he made his reputation by focusing on small business owners.
Under McMillon, Walmart brought its "everyday low prices" mantra to the rest of the world. This was just one strategy that led to his promotion to CEO in 2014.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
As CEO, McMillon has used his leadership skills beyond retail, seeking to make a positive impact on social issues. He has been called one of the most 'woke' CEOs in the country and was named 'the most connected CEO' in the Brunswick Group's Connected Leaders Survey.
Gareth Patterson / AP Images
In 2019, Walmart announced it would stop selling e-cigarettes after vaping-related lung injuries were linked to 530 hospitalizations and eight deaths. That year, Walmart also announced it would limit the sales of guns and ammunition in the wake of two deadly shootings at Walmart stores in El Paso, Texas, and Southaven, Mississippi.
Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, during an interview with CNBC.
CNBC Contributor/ Getty Images
McMillon was named chairman of Business Roundtable, a nonprofit that promotes business through public policy, in 2019. He currently serves on the group's board of directors.
Doug McMillon participates in a Business Roundtable discussion on the "Future of Work in an Era of Automation and Artificial Intelligence" during a 2018 CEO Innovation Summit.
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Following the murder of George Floyd, McMillon condemned racial violence and pledged that Walmart would provide mentorship and funding to help advance racial equity. The company donated a total of $14 million to 16 different nonprofit organizations and set a goal to donate $100 million over five years to fight systemic racism.
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As the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, Walmart provided essential goods to low-income shoppers and helped strengthen vaccination efforts throughout the country. In February 2021, McMillon urged Congress to pass another stimulus check, referencing Walmart spending data as proof that families need more money to buy essentials like groceries.
Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, April 27, 2020, in Washington.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
In 2020, McMillon also oversaw the launch of the Walmart+ membership program, the Walmart Connect advertising business, express delivery, and curbside pickup at Sam's Club.
A Sam's Club employee assists with curbside pickup.
Courtesy of Sam's Club
McMillon earned $25.7 million in total compensation in fiscal 2022. He and wife Shelley McMillon are philanthropists who've donated millions to various causes.
Shelley and Doug McMillon attend the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley Media Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., July 7, 2022.
Brendan McDermid/REUTERS
"My optimism is higher than it was at the beginning of the year," McMillon said on a post-earnings call in May 2022. "In the US, economic stimulus is clearly having an impact." McMillon's optimism has the numbers to back it, with fiscal 2022 earnings expected to increase by high single digits.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon.
But 2022 has tested McMillon and Walmart, as e-commerce growth slowed down and supply chain issues and inflationary issues led to a glut of excess inventory. After the second quarter of the year, the company reported a 32% year-over-year increase in inventory.
Doug McMillon speaks at the 2017 ESSENCE Festival at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for 2017 ESSENCE Festival
And in November, McMillon had to lead Walmart through a tragedy. A store employee shot and killed six fellow employees before killing himself at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Chesapeake Walmart shooting mourner
Mike Caudill/for The Washington Post via Getty Images
As 2023 rolls on, McMillon plans to stay at the helm of the company for at least another three years, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. If he does, he will have been CEO of the company for more than a decade.
Doug McMillon is 56 years old.
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