Walmart U.S. president, CEO names NRF board chair
The National Retail Federation has a new chairman.
Walmart U.S. president and CEO John Furner has been elected chairman of the NRF board of directors. Furner replaces former Qurate Retail president and CEO Mike George, who has served in the role since 2020.
“We are grateful to Mike George for his exceptional leadership as chairman of NRF over the last two years,” stated NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. “His guidance and insights have been critical to NRF and our industry as we navigated the pandemic, successfully advocated for critical legislation and ensured that retailers had the tools they needed to overcome the enormous challenges they faced throughout the last two years.”
“We are extremely fortunate to gain John’s leadership at this pivotal point, as retailers move beyond the pandemic,” Shay continued. “As we begin a new year and a new chapter for the industry, John’s extensive industry experience and knowledge will guide NRF and retailers large and small into a new era of innovation.”
In addition, Bloomingdale’s chairman and CEO Tony Spring will join the NRF board for a two-year term.
The appointments were revealed following the annual winter meeting of the NRF board. The meeting coincides with NRF’s annual convention, known as “The Big Show,” which ran Jan. 15 -18 at New York’s Jacob K. Javits Center.
“Retailers are the lifeblood of local communities, serving millions of customers each day with the items they need and much more,” Furner said. “Our industry is uniquely positioned to ignite economic growth and positive change in neighborhoods big and small. I look forward to leading the NRF board during this consequential time, and I’m confident we’ll all continue to rise to the occasion.”