Insights from Head of Coaching

Dear Students,
 

When asked to name respected international company CEOs, Kathryn (“Kath”) McLay might not be the first one that comes to mind. Yet, in her own authentic, down-to-earth way, this President and CEO of Walmart International (since August 2023) leads a team of 500,00 associates, serving 80 million customers per week, across 18 countries. And, while not a “merchant,” McLay was just “14 years and 9 months” old when she began working Thursday nights and Saturdays “handing meat over the counter” in her native Australia, with both feet already firmly planted in retail, (according to a 2020 Forbes article).
 

Fast-forward, per the piece below, to McLay as #14 on Fortune’s 2023 Most Powerful Women list.
 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/walmart-international-ceo-kath-mclay-130935196.html

While rising through the ranks within audit (and beginning her career at Deloitte), McLay has held leadership roles at Walmart since 2015. Eager to expand her wings beyond the accounting space, McLay moved from Finance & Strategy to Business Transformation, then from Supply Chain into General Management. Along the way, McLay has leveraged an appreciation for the value of systems, as well, having received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Technology in Sydney.
 

Any ambitious international student – and that could be you – who doubts their ability to build and apply transferable power skills, across a range of business functions, need look no further than “Kath” McLay, who, at 46, is, inspirationally, just getting started!