Brit David Cheesewright, a Walmart golden boy who has risen through the ranks of the retail giant, has been appointed as international chief executive.

Cheesewright, who is at present the president and chief executive of Walmart’sEurope, Middle East and Africa and Canada region, will start his new role on February 1, the same day as incumbent international boss Doug McMillon takes over from Mike Duke as Walmart Stores’ president and chief executive.

If previous history is anything to go by, the new appointment puts Cheesewright as the front runner among the internal candidates to eventually succeed McMillon as Walmart boss.

Both McMillon and Duke were in charge of the international division before being selected to head Walmart and, just like them, Cheesewright is in contention to become the overall chief executive in future.

“He’s a very talented guy and well qualified to do that job. He’s a marketing man with the nouse and ability to direct the business,” said one source familiar with Cheesewright.

Cheesewright’s customer-friendly approach and down to earth nature are “his greatest strengths”, the source added, making Cheesewright popular both with staff and shoppers.  

His career spans more than 25 years in international retail and manufacturing. He was appointed president and chief executive of Walmart Canada in February 2008, following a term as chief operating officer of Asda in the UK, and a prior period as chief operating officer of Walmart Canada from 2004 to 2005. 

While in Canada, he led the growth of Walmart’s operations, including bringing the Supercenter format to the country and expanding the company’s ecommerce capabilities there.

Cheesewright joined Asda in 1999 where he held leadership positions in operations, merchandising, logistics, strategy and format development, and helped develop and expand Asda’s online grocery program.

In his present role, which he has held since September 2011, Cheesewright has overseen integration of Walmart’s acquisition of Massmart, the company’s business in sub-Saharan Africa, and more aggressive growth in the UK and Canada.

His success in these projects is largely the reason for his latest promotion, according to one source.

“Cheesewright got the top international job because they think he can bring what he has learned into solving some of the problems in some of the very important territories,” the person said.

“Walmart’s main job is getting a proper grip on why they’re losing market share in the US, and the things that are happening to undermine their dominant position.”

The retailer’s international division generates nearly 30% of Walmart’s revenue, serving more than 109 million customers every week in more than 6,200 retail units under 64 banners in 26 countries outside the US. 

In the third quarter of 2013, Walmart’s international division increased net sales to $33.1 billion. On a constant currency basis, net sales increased 4.1% to $34.4 billion.

But despite such impressive results, the challenges of Cheesewright’s new role will be great given the scale of the job and the obstacles he faces. As one observer notes: “It’s one hell of a big job.”