Daniel Trujillo likes to tell the story of visiting Walmart stores when he was first hired to learn more about the retailing business. Trujillo visited one site around Valentines Day that had bought exactly 433 balloons, and seldom returned any product to suppliers. How do you know how many to buy, he asked. By studying 10 different data points on balloon sales, they replied. And he knew he and Walmart International were a match made in heaven.
Trujillo loves data analytics. And so does Walmart, he discovered, when he began working with 6,100 stores in 26 countries outside the United States. Trujillo, in his second year as international chief compliance officer, was one of several key hires after Wal-Mart Stores Inc., parent company of Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club, disclosed in late 2011 that it may have violated bribery laws in Mexico. The lawyer uses technology and empirical data for everything from managing allegations of wrongdoing and their resolutions, to tailoring employee training to specific risks in the area.
