About Speaker

Mary Welsh is senior vice president (SVP), asset protection for Walmart U.S., the largest division of the No. 1 company on the Fortune 500. As the leader of asset protection, Welsh is responsible for the safety, security, loss, fraud and returns operations for nearly 5,000 stores/facilities and leading a team of over 50,000 employees. Prior to joining Walmart in March 2023, she was SVP, chief security officer (CSO) at UnitedHealth Group, the most diversified health care company in the United States. Welsh also led the Global Security function at St. Jude Medical for 10 years. In the public sector, she was in the U.S. federal government, which included multiple international assignments throughout Europe and Southeast Asia. While working on national security issues, Welsh acquired a deep understanding of foreign government and business cultures, developed expertise in security and crisis management and established a global network of government and private sector contacts in the security industry.
Welsh serves on the board of ModernWell, the first female-centered co-working space in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Breck School, an independent college-preparatory pre-K through grade 12 school also in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prior board assignments include the Women's Health Leadership TRUST, an organization that supports and advances the careers of women leaders in health care; the Twin Cities Security Partnership, a private-public partnership between law enforcement, government agencies and private industry which promotes a stronger, safer Twin Cities community; and the International Security Management Association, the leading industry organization for CSOs.
Welsh maintains active professional memberships in the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, affiliate membership in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Domestic Security Alliance Council and the U.S. Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council.