Alum a Key Player in Wal-Mart’s Global Sustainability Plan

As vice president and CFO of Global Procurement for the world’s largest company, David Blackwell, BBA ’80, understands the challenges of competing in the global market.

“I love the constant challenges of international business,” the Wal-Mart executive says. “It never gets boring or routine. You never know all the answers, but you learn the questions to ask.”

Blackwell is no stranger to the challenges of international business. Before joining Wal-Mart in 2000, he spent 20 years in the oil and gas industry, working in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Beijing and Moscow. Even with his vast international experience, Blackwell notes that technological advancements make the constantly changing global environment difficult to navigate.

“The challenge is getting others to see the threats and opportunities and to mobilize to address them before the competition,” Blackwell says. “[Having] vision is seeing the invisible—after all, by the time the writing is on the wall, everyone can see it.”

While doing business in the global environment presents challenges to all companies, it also provides opportunities to make a significant impact. One way Blackwell hopes to leave his mark on the business world is to help Wal-Mart stay ahead of the competition by implementing sustainable practices throughout the company.

“I believe businesses, not governments, will be the key driver in addressing the environmental challenges globally,” Blackwell says. “If I can help influence and drive change in the largest company and 19th largest economic entity in the world, the ripple effect through our 60,000 suppliers, 1.9 million associates and the 175 million customers who visit our stores each week will have a significant impact.”

Blackwell’s division initiated pilot projects with six of Wal-Mart’s apparel suppliers around the world to test new environmentally sustainable methods of manufacturing. Once the tests are complete, Blackwell will share the results of the projects with Wal-Mart’s entire global supplier base to encourage others to follow Wal-Mart’s lead.

Blackwell also evaluates how Wal-Mart can “close the loop” by recycling various materials, such as plastics, paper and electronic waste, to become the raw materials for products the company sells. This practice will reduce the demand for materials found in nature and decrease the energy required to manufacture the products.

He is particularly proud to have engaged McCombs students in these initiatives by involving a McCombs MBA class with both projects. In March, John Doggett, senior lecturer in management, traveled with his students to China to visit one of the pilot supplier’s factories. The students’ “close the loop” project will likely be a multi-semester endeavor that engages the class in research and evaluating the opportunities and challenges of creating a more sustainable business.

As Blackwell points out, environmental problems must be addressed now rather than waiting for future generations to solve the problems. By working with Wal-Mart and giving future leaders hands-on experience, Blackwell is already affecting the way businesses and leaders think about sustainability.

—Andrea Ferdinand