Kirsten Evans

Kirsten Evans, of Bentonville, Ark., is the vice president of Walmart merchandising, where she is responsible for a large portion of the retailer’s dry grocery business and its critical supplier relationships. In her seven years with the company, she has functioned in crucial marketing roles in several departments. In 2012, she was named as recipient of the AWNY Quantum Leap award for executive women creating a change within an organization. Evans’ bachelor’s degree is in consumer affairs from UA and her master’s degree in business administration was earned from the University of Texas at Austin.

Evans was among the wave of Frito-Lay marketing executives who came to Walmart a decade ago, along with former U.S. chief marketing officer Stephen Quinn and current CMO Tony Rogers.

In February, she was elevated to senior VP-marketing, a job both those executives held on their way to becoming CMO of the $300 billion retailer. She's now responsible for brand, seasonal, multicultural and category marketing at the world's largest retailer. As such, she describes her biggest challenge as focus: "At any given time I could talk about a myriad of merchandising programs, services or features offered through our mobile app, to name a few," she said. The challenge is finding "which messages will have the most impact."

Though Ms. Evans mostly worked in marketing, her prior job was in merchandising, and she said she loves both facets of retail. "It's high energy, high intensity, and you can see the direct results of your actions very quickly."