While at Asda Barry Williams was responsible for marketing, brand, customer insight, store promotion, sustainability, health strategy and community and media relations. He was a member of the board and officer of parent company Walmart Stores Inc, and was appointed to the role in January 2015 after serving as chief merchandising officer for food for three years. With a background in trading, Williams is not a traditional marketer and his previous roles focused on more commercial aspects of the business including leading traders in the Netto acquisition programme. Indeed, he cites his biggest challenge coming into the role as being: “Be more marketing, less trading.”