Former Walmart.com exec to join Staples board

Staples named former Walmart.com CEO Raul Vasquez to serve on its the board of directors.

Vazquez currently serves as CEO and a director of Progreso Financiero, financial services firm focused on serving the needs of "under-banked" Hispanic customers. The election of directors at Staples will take place at the company’s annual meeting on June 3.

Staples chairman and CEO Ron Sargent said, "Raul would be an outstanding addition to our board. He is a multi-channel veteran with deep digital expertise and leadership experience in retail, marketing and operations. His global e-commerce perspective would be particularly valuable as we focus on rapidly increasing online sales as part of our strategic reinvention."

Vazquez joined Progreso Financiero last year after previously serving as CEO of Walmart.com and holding a variety of other roles at the retailer. He also served as EVP and president of operations for Walmart’s business unit in western states.

Before he joined Walmart in 2002, Vazquez worked as several startup companies within the ecommerce industry. Prior to that time, he spent several years at a boutique consulting firm that specializes in competitive strategy for Fortune 100 firms, and as an industrial engineer at Baxter Healthcare. Vazquez is a graduate of the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, and also received bachelor's and master's degrees in industrial engineering from Stanford University.