Wal-Mart promotes deputy GC to top legal job

US retail giant Wal-Mart has promoted its deputy general counsel Jeff Gearhart to the general counsel role.

The move comes as former general counsel Tom Mars got the nod to become the company's first chief administrative officer. Mars will be responsible for compliance, diversity, talent development and employment in his new role.

Both are based in the US.

Gearhart joined Wal-Mart in 2003 as vice president and general counsel for the corporate division. In 2007, he became senior vice president and deputy general counsel for Wal-Mart with responsibility for the corporate, real estate and IT legal teams.

Wal-Mart is one of the world's biggest companies, employing more than two million people and boasting a revenue of around $400bn (£276.7bn) globally.

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