Kansas State University

With over 20 years of experience in the manufacturing and retailing industries, M. Susan Chambers serves as the Executive Vice President of the... Global People Division for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. In that role, she is responsible for managing, attracting and retaining the nation’s largest private workforce.Prior to joining Wal-Mart, Susan worked for 14 years with Hallmark Cards Inc. She was the director of applications development at Hallmark before beginning her career at Wal-Mart in 1999. Susan trained for six months in the field as a Store and Club Manager before accepting senior positions across multiple corporate functions, starting in the information systems division. There, she served as a Vice President for Applications and Development-Merchandising and then as a Senior Vice President, CMI and Benefits. She was then promoted to the role of Executive Vice President of Risk Management and Benefits Administration, with additional responsibilities in Global Security and Aviation. In 2006, Susan was promoted to her current position as Executive Vice President of the Global People Division, reporting directly to Wal-Mart’s CEO H. Lee Scott.Today, Susan oversees recruiting, training and retention initiatives for more than 2 million Wal-Mart associates. Additionally, Susan’s responsibilities include human resource technology, culture change, regulatory issues, benefits and the Office of Diversity- a group of professionals dedicated to promoting inclusion within the company and in the communities it serves.Susan’s role at Wal-Mart also extends well beyond traditional human resources responsibilities. Her position at the world’s largest private employer allows Susan the opportunity to be involved in multiple arenas, including workforce development and education. She is a firm believer that human resources issues – like training, compensation and opportunity – are issues with a real social, financial and economic impact.Susan is part of a growing team that is involved in many of the changes underway at Wal-Mart. The retailer’s continuous company-wide transformation has led to the company working to bring about solutions to some of the toughest challenges facing businesses and the nation, like healthcare, job creation and environmental sustainability. From the company’s launch of a $4 prescription program to its work to bring affordable, environmentally-friendly products to consumers, Wal-Mart’s transformation is about making a real difference … and helping people save money so they can live better.
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