Walmart Bank is coming to Canada, QSB alum tells Commerce class
Posted on March 4, 2010
Rick Irwin, Operations Manager, Financial Services at Walmart Canada spoke to Professor Tony Dimnik’s upper year undergraduate Management Controls class on March 4. His presentation covered Walmart Canada’s move into the financial sector with various products and services being introduced gradually across the country. Rick explained that while the move into financial services has been in development for several years, the green light to proceed came in July 2009, when the federal government granted the company a charter to operate a banking service.
Walmart Canada’s parent company is the world’s largest retailer with over 9,000 stores and 2.1 million associates around the world. Rick spoke about the importance of the company’s three core values in propelling the company’s world-wide success. “Striving for excellence, service to customers and respect for the individual govern everything that we do,” he explained. A spirited question and answer period followed his presentation and students didn’t hold back from asking about some of the issues affecting Walmart’s reputation. Rick’s responses were candid and sincere, and, judging by the number of students who lingered to ask him questions after the presentation, the exchange of views was appreciated on both sides.
Rick has remained connected to Queen’s School of Business since his graduation from the Executive MBA program in 1999 and returned to campus at the invitation of his former professor, Tony Dimnik.