John Bowman

Distinguished Data Scientist & Director of Data Science

Walmart Labs

"John Bowman is a distinguished data scientist and seasoned leader with over three decades of expertise in developing advanced statistical, forecasting, and inventory control algorithms. Currently serving as the Distinguished Data Scientist and Director of Data Science at Walmart Labs, John leads a team pioneering next-generation inventory control solutions for Walmart Stores and eCommerce. From 2018 to 2021, he spearheaded the development of Walmart's store forecasting system, scaling to predict weekly demand for nearly 500 million store-item combinations across the United States, utilizing state-space models, gradient boosting machines, and hierarchical forecasting. Before this role, John held positions such as Principal Data Scientist at Walmart Labs, where he designed complex inventory control and demand forecasting algorithms, and Senior Staff Statistician at SolFocus, where his work advanced solar energy modeling and site optimization. Earlier in his career, as a Statistician at Hewlett-Packard, John developed and patented multi-echelon inventory and price forecasting algorithms that were adopted globally, earning industry accolades, including a “Supplier of the Year” award from Walmart. John's contributions also extend to the e-commerce sector and retail analytics, where he led the design of systems optimizing supply-demand dynamics, improving promotional effectiveness, and driving operational efficiency. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated mastery in statistical programming (C, C++, R) and operations research, teaching and mentoring others in these domains. With his enduring passion for innovation and leadership, John continues to shape the future of data-driven decision-making across industries. From 2017-2019, John served as president and chief executive officer of Sam’s Club. During his time as CEO, Sam’s Club had 11 consecutive quarters of positive sales comps, while increasing memberships. John started with Walmart as an hourly associate in 1993, at Store 100 in Bentonville, Arkansas. He has held important roles throughout the company, including assistant store manager, store manager, district manager, buyer, regional general manager, divisional merchandising manager, VP of global sourcing, general merchandise manager, head of marketing and merchandising for Walmart China based in Shenzhen, and chief merchant for Sam’s Club."