Walmart Promotes African-American Woman to Run Sam's Club

Rosalind Brewer: One of Fortune's "Most Powerful Women in Business"

Wal-Mart Inc. made history Friday when it named an African-American woman president and chief executive of its Sam's Club warehouse retail chain.

The world’s largest retailer named Rosalind Brewer as its first woman and African American ever to lead one of its three business units.  She most recently ran Wal-Mart U.S. operations on the East Coast, a much larger division than Sam’s Club.

Brewer, 49, will replace Brian Cornell on February 1 at the start of the company's fiscal year, Wal-Mart said.

Brewer joined Wal-Mart in 2006 as a regional vice president after spending years at Kimberly-Clark Corp (KMB.N). She was selected as one of the most powerful women in business by Fortune magazine in 2010 and 2011 and sits on the board of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N). She was also the first chair of the Wal-Mart President's Council of Global Women Leaders.

Wal-Mart also promoted two other women on Friday, appointing Gisel Ruiz to the role of Wal-Mart U.S. chief operating officer and Karenann Terrell as chief information officer.

Reuters reported, the appointments come after Wal-Mart won a historic U.S. Supreme Court decision last year when the court rejected a nationwide class-action lawsuit brought by women who alleged that they were denied raises and promotions because of their gender.  Some are regrouping to file smaller lawsuits.