BENTONVILLE, Ark.-Walmart has promoted Karen Roberts to executive vice president and general counsel. 

In her new post, which will be effective Feb. 1, Roberts will manage the legal department, which handles all legal matters affecting the retailer in its domestic and international markets. She will report to Jeff Gearhart, executive vice president and corporate secretary, who is currently handling the general-counsel functions. Gearhart’s role has been expanded to include the oversight of Walmart’s compliance, ethics and investigations teams, as part of the company’s efforts to align the functions and further strengthen its global compliance efforts.

Roberts joined Walmart in 1995 and has held a number of executive positions with the retailer. Currently, she serves as executive vice president and president of Walmart Realty for Walmart U.S. Prior to this post, she was senior vice president and chief compliance officer for Walmart U.S.