Sam's Club China sees leadership shake-up

Following a leadership shake-up at Sam's Club China's chairman level, the company's chief merchandising officer role has also seen a transition.

On June 17, Zhang Qing, chief merchandising officer of Sam's Club China, resigned for personal reasons and will officially step down at the end of June 2026.

In response, Sam's Club said it is actively conducting a global search for a successor. During the interim period, Neil Maffey will assume the role of acting chief merchandising officer. Maffey previously served as Sam's Club CMO from 2013 to 2017 and has remained affiliated with the company as a full-time consultant since leaving the position.

On June 15, Walmart (China) Investment, the entity overseeing Sam's Club China, updated its registration on June 15, showing that Muk Sook Yee had stepped down as legal representative and chairman. Liu Peng was appointed to both roles, according to data from Tianyancha, China's corporate information provider.

The undertaking by Walmart China followed an official regulatory interview conducted by the State Administration for Market Regulation, which said it had uncovered food safety issues over an extended period across both Sam's Club physical stores and its e-commerce channels.