Longtime HR chief at St. Louis tech giant to retire
Ann Marr, the longtime World Wide Technology executive who's led the firm's human resources functions through its rapid growth, is retiring at year's end.
Marr, who joined WWT in 1997, has served as executive vice president of global human resources. WWT said Bob Ferrell, who has been executive vice president of public sector strategy and diversity and inclusion, has been tapped to be the firm's executive vice president of human resources and diversity and inclusion.
Marr said her decision to retire is one made based on both professional accomplishments and personal desires. She said she's leaving a legacy she's proud of at WWT and retiring will allow her to pursue other interests, including traveling and serving on boards.
"The biggest driver was just feeling like it was the right time because I've built a strong team," Marr said. "I've built such an amazing team. I have really, from just me, built a global HR team that is really world class. I only wanted to leave when I felt I had the right leadership in place that was going to continue to grow and do great things."
Marr joined WWT, which provides technology products and services for large businesses and government entities, when it was just a fraction of its current size. It had just 140 employees when she began, leaving a role at what's now Enterprise Mobility, the rental car giant. WWT has grown to become the St. Louis region's second-largest privately held company with $16.9 billion in annual revenue in 2022, up from $13.22 billion in 2021. It operates from 55 locations and as of November reported having 5,937 local and 10,559 total employees.
Marr said leaving Enterprise for WWT was a "leap of faith," but that she believed in the vision of CEO Jim Kavanaugh and Chairman David Steward, the founders of the business.
"It was just an amazing journey, but I will say it was a lot of work, it was a lot of dedication, perseverance, sacrifice — all those things," Marr said. "People always see you when you're at the top. They don't realize what it takes to get there."
Among her proudest accomplishments at WWT is helping embed its culture into new geographies as the company expanded, saying she's had the opportunity in her role to serve as ambassador for its culture. She said she's made visits to WWT locations in India, Singapore and London to ensure the company's culture is "embedded in the fabric of the organization" there. WWT has made Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list for 12 consecutive years, which Marr said helped accelerate WWT's business operations by helping draw top talent globally.