A shopping trip and a medical treatment may seem worlds apart, but both depend on decisions made inside large companies. Doug McMillon and Joaquin Duato built their careers in these different worlds: McMillon served as Walmart’s president and chief executive officer from February 2014 through January 2026, while Duato became Johnson & Johnson’s chief executive officer in January 2022 and chairman in January 2023. Their work reaches beyond company offices, influencing how businesses serve shoppers and patients, invest in technology, and plan for the future.
What makes their stories interesting is the time they spent learning their businesses before reaching the top. McMillon began at Walmart as an hourly employee in 1984, gaining experience that eventually helped him lead the retailer, while Duato developed his career across different countries, departments, and businesses within Johnson & Johnson. Comparing them offers a useful look at how leaders grow inside large organizations, although their results need to be understood within their own industries: selling everyday goods involves different responsibilities from developing medicines and medical technology.
| Quick information | Doug McMillon | Joaquin Duato |
| Main company | Walmart | Johnson & Johnson |
| Industry | Retail | Healthcare |
| Leadership position | Former president and chief executive officer | Chairman and chief executive officer |
| Became chief executive officer | February 2014 | January 2022 |
| Career distinction | Rose from an hourly Walmart job to its top leadership role | Built an international career across Johnson & Johnson |
| Leadership status in October 2026 | John Furner succeeded him in February 2026 | Leads Johnson & Johnson |
Doug McMillon and Joaquin Duato: Early Life and Education
Doug McMillon’s business education grew alongside his practical experience at Walmart. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas and completed his MBA at the University of Tulsa in 1991, giving him a foundation in understanding costs, financial performance, and business decisions. An interesting detail from his early career is that, just weeks after graduating from Tulsa, he became a buyer for fishing tackle—a role that involved choosing products for customers rather than simply studying business from a distance.
Joaquin Duato’s education followed a more international path. A dual citizen of Spain and the United States, he earned an MBA from ESADE in Barcelona and a master’s degree in international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, preparing him for work across different markets and cultures. Their educational backgrounds offer an interesting comparison: McMillon studied accounting and business management, while Duato combined business studies with international management, although neither man’s qualifications alone explain the leadership positions he eventually reached.
How Did McMillon and Duato Reach the Top?
McMillon’s rise began with hands-on work at a Walmart distribution center in 1984, where his tasks included picking store orders and unloading suppliers’ trailers. He later moved through buying and merchandising positions before becoming president and chief executive officer of Sam’s Club in 2005, leading Walmart International in 2009, and taking charge of Walmart in February 2014. Those moves gave him experience in membership shopping, overseas operations, and the wider retail business before he stepped into the company’s most senior position.
Duato also reached the top after holding several senior responsibilities inside his company, including leadership of the pharmaceutical business and service as vice chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s executive committee. Before becoming chief executive officer in January 2022, his responsibilities included the pharmaceutical and consumer health businesses, information technology, and the global supply chain; he added the chairman’s role in January 2023. Both careers show the value of learning different parts of an organization, but their current positions differ: John Furner succeeded McMillon at Walmart on February 1, 2026, while Duato continues to lead Johnson & Johnson.
Doug McMillon and Joaquin Duato: Leadership and Achievements
During McMillon’s time as chief executive officer, Walmart expanded its online business and worked to connect digital shopping more closely with physical stores, while also investing in wages, parental leave, and employee education. Walmart describes this approach as “people-led, tech-powered,” a useful phrase for understanding the balance between employees and technology in its business. As a practical illustration, a customer ordering groceries online still depends on people choosing suitable products and preparing the order, so a better shopping experience requires more than an improved website.
Duato’s leadership has involved a different kind of change: Johnson & Johnson completed the separation of its consumer health business into Kenvue in August 2023, leaving the company focused on medicines and medical technology. This provides a useful comparison with Walmart’s development, because one company worked to connect shopping services while the other narrowed its business focus to concentrate on particular healthcare opportunities. Explaining the separation, Duato said it positioned Johnson & Johnson to be “more agile, focused and competitive”—a statement of the company’s intended direction rather than proof that every future investment would succeed.
What Business Challenges Have They Faced?
For a retail leader, the challenge is keeping everyday shopping affordable and dependable while paying for employees, transport, buildings, and technology. A useful example is a grocery delivery order: the business must balance product availability, picking accuracy, delivery costs, and the price the customer is willing to pay, making convenience an operational problem as well as a marketing promise. McMillon’s leadership therefore needs to be understood within retail’s daily pressures, where small improvements across many transactions can matter, and a disappointing experience can quickly send a shopper elsewhere.
Healthcare involves longer development cycles and a different level of responsibility, because a promising medicine must demonstrate its safety and effectiveness before it can reach patients. Johnson & Johnson’s board reported that, during 2025, Duato helped the company advance research milestones, launch products, and manage a significant loss of product exclusivity—the protection that limits certain competing versions of a medicine. That makes the comparison between Doug McMillon and Joaquin Duato more useful when readers look at the problems each business must solve, rather than treating revenue or executive pay as a complete measure of leadership.
Doug McMillon and Joaquin Duato: Salary, Net Worth, and Personal Life
Executive salary and total compensation are different figures, which explains why reports about the same person’s earnings can appear to disagree. Walmart’s 2026 proxy statement lists McMillon’s salary as $1.5 million and total compensation as approximately $29.24 million for its fiscal year ending January 31, 2026, while Johnson & Johnson’s 2026 proxy lists Duato’s salary as $1.6 million and summary-table total compensation as approximately $32.76 million for 2025. The following table uses the companies’ summary compensation disclosures, but the reporting periods differ, and the totals include items beyond cash salary.
| Compensation detail | Doug McMillon | Joaquin Duato |
| Reporting period | Fiscal year ending January 31, 2026 | Fiscal year 2025 |
| Reported salary | $1,500,000 | $1,600,000 |
| Summary-table total compensation | $29,240,930 | $32,758,111 |
| What the total includes | Salary, stock awards, incentives, pension-related changes, and other compensation | Salary, stock and option awards, incentives, pension-related changes, and other compensation |
| Does it establish personal net worth? | No | No |
Neither compensation total establishes personal net worth, because wealth also depends on assets, debts, taxes, spending, and investments that may not be publicly disclosed. Readers should therefore treat online net worth estimates cautiously and avoid assuming that the value of a stock award represents cash immediately received. Beyond earnings, a verified personal distinction is that King Felipe VI of Spain awarded Duato the Order of Civil Merit, Commander by Number, in 2023; details such as family life deserve the same careful treatment, with publicly confirmed information taking priority over speculation.
Conclusion: What Can We Learn From Their Careers?
Doug McMillon and Joaquin Duato reached senior leadership through years of experience inside their organizations, taking on responsibilities that extended well beyond their early roles. Their careers offer a practical lesson about professional growth: understanding more of a business can help someone make better decisions when the scope of their work increases. For readers beginning their own careers, that can mean learning how another department works, understanding the needs of customers, or accepting a responsibility that develops a useful new skill.
Their stories also show why leadership must fit the business it serves: a retailer needs reliable shopping experiences, while a healthcare company must support the development and delivery of effective treatments. Doug McMillon and Joaquin Duato provide an interesting comparison because their work involves different products, timeframes, and responsibilities. Understanding those differences makes their achievements easier to assess and their career lessons more useful.
Who is Doug McMillon?
Doug McMillon is Walmart’s former president and chief executive officer, known for rising from an hourly job to company leadership.
Who is Joaquin Duato?
Joaquin Duato is Johnson & Johnson’s chairman and chief executive officer, leading its medicines and medical technology businesses.
Is Doug McMillon still Walmart’s CEO?
No. John Furner succeeded him on February 1, 2026, after McMillon’s nearly twelve years leading Walmart.
When did Joaquin Duato become CEO?
Duato became Johnson & Johnson’s chief executive officer in January 2022 and its chairman in January 2023.
Are their net worth figures confirmed?
Their company filings disclose compensation, but those figures do not establish either executive’s complete personal net worth.
