- Ann-Marie Campbell rose from part-time cashier to senior executive VP at Home Depot in 40 years
- She began at Home Depot in 1985 earning $4.15 an hour while supporting her college education
- Campbell credits hard work, relationships, and continuous learning for her career success
A Home Depot executive is going viral on social media after her remarkable 40-year career at the company was described as a "perfect LinkedIn profile". Ann-Marie Campbell, senior executive vice president at Home Depot, joined the company as a part-time cashier and gradually worked her way up to the C-suite.
The Acquired podcast recently shared a screenshot on X highlighting Campbell's career progression, showing how she spent four decades moving through different roles within the same company. The post quickly drew attention, with many users praising her steady rise from an entry-level position to one of Home Depot's top leadership roles.
Campbell's journey began in 1985 when she was a Jamaican immigrant living in South Florida and earning $3.35 an hour. To support her college ambitions, she applied for a job at Home Depot and was hired as a part-time cashier for $4.15 an hour.
The job eventually helped pay for college and became a lifelong career.
During the next four decades, Campbell moved through a series of roles, becoming a store manager and later a district manager in the 1990s. She moved into corporate leadership positions in the 2000s and continued climbing the ranks.
In 2016, she became executive vice president for US stores and international operations. In November 2023, she was promoted to senior executive vice president.
Today, Campbell earns an annual salary of just over $1 million and is a regular presence on Fortune's list of the Most Powerful Women. She is also currently overseeing Home Depot's day-to-day operations while CEO Ted Decker is away on medical leave for the next few months.
For Campbell, however, staying at Home Depot came down largely to one thing: she genuinely enjoyed the work.
“Jobs become careers when you do something you love,” she told students at Longwood University in 2014. She also stressed the importance of understanding your strengths and using them to create opportunities.
Looking back on her career, Campbell has credited three things for helping her reach the top: working hard, building genuine relationships and continuing to learn. "Hard work opens the door, but you can't do it alone. You need people around you to teach and push you," she said.
One of her earliest lessons came from her ninth-grade math teacher, who taught her that success required three simple things: show up, keep up and speak up. She also learned that career growth is not simply about talent or hard work. Building relationships, asking for opportunities and knowing when to seek help can be just as important.
She experienced this firsthand while working as a district manager overseeing 13 stores in the Miami area in the late 1990s. At the time, the region was facing major economic challenges, while Campbell was also raising two children under the age of four.
The pressure became so overwhelming that she considered quitting. Her boss eventually stepped in and offered support, even though Campbell had not clearly explained how difficult things had become. The experience changed her outlook. She realised that asking for help is not a weakness and that career success does not have to be achieved alone.
"You have to ask people for help," Campbell told Fortune in a 2016 profile.
Campbell has since made helping others a central part of her leadership philosophy. She has often spoken about the importance of supporting people around you and creating opportunities for others to move forward.
"Believe that you can. The dream is real. It can happen. It will happen if you keep yourself focused on performing. The ticket to the game is performing," she added.
