Gustavo Valbuena

Sharpshooter
DISC Type : DC

Director People Analytics & Artificial Intelligence at Walmart

Bentonville, Arkansas, United States

Overview

Gustavo is the Director of People Analytics & AI at Walmart, where he leads the AI transformation within the people function. An alumnus of Stanford Universitys AI program, he is focused on creating intelligence from people data. Colleagues describe him as a forward-thinking, visionary, and impactful HR professional.

Outside of work, Gustavo is the host of the PeopleBot Podcast, exploring the convergence of people and technology. He is a proud father who actively supports his daughters gymnastics competitions, sharing his pride in her discipline and courage.

He developed a unique challenge called the "Impossible Brief" to test AI models with complex, contradictory leadership scenarios.

Personality Overview

Thorough Evaluator

Precise But Practical

ROI Driven

They do not care very much about building rapport or relationships.  They respond better to strong and respectful interactions. They like to stay in control of the negotiation or defining of the terms.

Topics They Care About

AI in HR
He is leading Walmart's AI transformation in HR, aiming to use agentic frameworks to deliver hyper-personalized, predictive intelligence to leaders.
People Analytics
His mission is to evolve the people function from being "Keepers of People Data" into "Creators of Intelligence" to align talent strategy with business goals.
Future of Work
Frequently discusses AI upskilling and how technology is reshaping the way we work, while emphasizing the importance of retaining what makes us human.

Media Appearances

#154. El Rol del Talento Humano en la Era de la IA – Gustavo Valbuena (Walmart). Featured in YouTube

See Now

Work History

9-2025
Director People Analytics & Artificial Intelligence at Walmart
10-2023 - 9-2025
Sr. People Partner - Global Technology at Walmart
11-2021 - 10-2023
Senior Manager | Operations & Implementation at Walmart
11-2020 - 11-2021
Sr. Human Resources Manager at Walmart
8-2020 - 11-2020
Sr. HRBP | Senior Human Resources Business Partner at Ingersoll Rand

Education

10-2024 - 3-2025
Artificial Intelligence from Stanford University
2002 - 2007
Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) from Universidad de La Sabana

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 19 Location : Bentonville, Arkansas, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director People Analytics & Artificial Intelligence at Walmart
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Insights For Selling To Gustavo

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Speak about competitive differentiation that your product offers
  • When negotiating terms, help them build an impression that they are the ones calling the shots
  • Hold your ground without indulging in one-upmanship

DONT's

  • Don't try too hard to forge relationships with them
  • Don’t take too much time in sending them information if they ask for any
  • Do not hesitate from asking counter questions, just avoid challenging their authority

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Gustavo is

  • Conviction around the impact matters the most to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Gustavo

  • If they are not convinced, they will say no without any hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Gustavo move?

  • If convinced, they can reach decisions quite fast.
  • Can Gustavo take some risk or not?

  • They do not shy away from taking risks, but can be quite binary about them.

You And Gustavo

Personality Compatibility


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