Tony Rogers is leaving his post as chief member officer of Sam’s Club, his duties to be filled largely by 13-year Walmart and Sam’s Club veteran Ciara Anfield, who will become senior VP and chief membership and marketing officer.
Anfield will report to Kieran Shanahan, newly appointed executive VP and chief growth officer, who is joining Sam’s in mid-March from Walmart Canada. Sam’s Club is a unit of Walmart, and while its $64 billion in sales last fiscal year were less than one-fifth that of its Walmart U.S. sibling, it’s been growing faster over the past year.
Rogers is leaving Walmart on a roll, with his team heading to the Super Bowl, as Sam’s Club prepares to air its first-ever spot in the game on Feb. 13. Last month, he noted the club chain's momentum, including all-time high membership, as making it the right time for the brand to make its Big Game debut. “We feel like Sam’s is a brand that’s been a bit quiet for its size,” Rogers said as he discussed the ad starring Kevin Hart.
“Over the past three years, Sam’s Club has experienced unprecedented growth,” Sam’s Club CEO Kath McLay said in a memo today. “I am extremely proud of our results and more impressed by our unyielding obsession with serving our members. We are winning. But our members, the retail environment and our competitors are relentless and ever-changing, and we can’t afford to become content or stagnant. We must continue to review, refine and accelerate our strategy to achieve our ambitious goals.”
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