diff --git a/rally/plugins/openstack/context/keystone/users.py b/rally/plugins/openstack/context/keystone/users.py
index f39c793196..9a84026418 100644
--- a/rally/plugins/openstack/context/keystone/users.py
+++ b/rally/plugins/openstack/context/keystone/users.py
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ USER_CONTEXT_OPTS = [
     cfg.StrOpt("user_domain",
                default="default",
                help="ID of domain in which users will be created."),
+    cfg.StrOpt("keystone_default_role",
+               default="member",
+               help="The default role name of the keystone."),
 ]
 
 CONF = cfg.CONF
@@ -223,6 +226,7 @@ class UserGenerator(UserContextMixin, context.Context):
         # NOTE(msdubov): This should be called after _create_tenants().
         threads = self.config["resource_management_workers"]
         users_per_tenant = self.config["users_per_tenant"]
+        default_role = cfg.CONF.users_context.keystone_default_role
 
         users = collections.deque()
 
@@ -241,9 +245,11 @@ class UserGenerator(UserContextMixin, context.Context):
                 clients = osclients.Clients(self.credential)
                 cache["client"] = keystone.wrap(clients.keystone())
             client = cache["client"]
-            user = client.create_user(username, password,
-                                      "%s@email.me" % username,
-                                      tenant_id, user_dom)
+            user = client.create_user(
+                username, password,
+                "%s@email.me" % username,
+                tenant_id, user_dom,
+                default_role=default_role)
             user_credential = objects.Credential(
                 client.auth_url, user.name, password,
                 self.context["tenants"][tenant_id]["name"],
diff --git a/rally/plugins/openstack/wrappers/keystone.py b/rally/plugins/openstack/wrappers/keystone.py
index 44708f98da..e26190dcea 100644
--- a/rally/plugins/openstack/wrappers/keystone.py
+++ b/rally/plugins/openstack/wrappers/keystone.py
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ class KeystoneWrapper(object):
 
     @abc.abstractmethod
     def create_user(self, username, password, email=None, project_id=None,
-                    domain_name="Default"):
+                    domain_name="Default", default_role="member"):
         """Create user.
 
         :param username: name of user
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ class KeystoneWrapper(object):
         :param domain_name: Name or id of domain where to create project, for
                             implementations that don't support domains this
                             argument must be None or 'Default'.
+        :param default_role: user's default role
         """
 
     @abc.abstractmethod
@@ -136,7 +137,8 @@ class KeystoneV2Wrapper(KeystoneWrapper):
         self.client.tenants.delete(project_id)
 
     def create_user(self, username, password, email=None, project_id=None,
-                    domain_name="Default"):
+                    domain_name="Default", default_role="member"):
+        # NOTE(liuyulong): For v2 wrapper the `default_role` here is not used.
         self._check_domain(domain_name)
         user = self.client.users.create(username, password, email, project_id)
         return KeystoneV2Wrapper._wrap_v2_user(user)
@@ -194,18 +196,19 @@ class KeystoneV3Wrapper(KeystoneWrapper):
         self.client.projects.delete(project_id)
 
     def create_user(self, username, password, email=None, project_id=None,
-                    domain_name="Default"):
+                    domain_name="Default", default_role="member"):
         domain_id = self._get_domain_id(domain_name)
         user = self.client.users.create(name=username, password=password,
                                         default_project=project_id,
                                         email=email, domain=domain_id)
         for role in self.client.roles.list():
-            if "member" in role.name.lower():
+            if default_role in role.name.lower():
                 self.client.roles.grant(role.id, user=user.id,
                                         project=project_id)
                 break
         else:
-            LOG.warning("Unable to set member role to created user.")
+            LOG.warning(
+                "Unable to set %s role to created user." % default_role)
         return KeystoneV3Wrapper._wrap_v3_user(user)
 
     def delete_user(self, user_id):