Walgreens taps Starbucks exec Brewer as its new CEO
Walgreens has tapped Starbucks executive Roz Brewer as its new CEO, which will make her the only Black woman leading a Fortune 500 company
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Walgreens said Tuesday it has tapped Starbucks executive Roz Brewer as its new CEO which will make her the only Black woman leading a Fortune 500 company.
Starbucks announced Tuesday that Brewer was departing after a little more than three years as its chief operating officer. Walgreens later confirmed that Brewer will take over as its CEO on March 15.
Brewer succeeds Stefano Pessina, who served as CEO for six years following the merger between Walgreens and Alliance Boots in 2014. Pessina will transition to executive chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.'s board.
Pessina praised Brewer’s expertise in operations, customer relations, talent development and digital innovation.
“She is a distinguished and experienced executive who has led organizations globally through periods of changing consumer behavior by applying innovation that elevates customer experiences,” Pessina said.
At Starbucks, Brewer revamped stores, taking out clutter and cutting down on administrative work so employees could focus on customers and speed up service. She helped grow Starbucks’ rewards program and pushed for more diversity in its ranks.
Prior to joining Starbucks, Brewer served as president and CEO of Sam’s Club, the members-only warehouse channel of Walmart Inc. She also grew membership and improved merchandise there.
Before that, Brewer was with Kimberly-Clark Corp. for 22 years. Brewer __ who has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Spelman College __ started at Kimberly-Clark as a scientist and ultimately served as president of the Global Nonwovens Sector.
Brewer said she's excited to innovate in the health care industry at Walgreens, especially as the company helps combat the coronavirus pandemic.
“I step into this role with great optimism for the future of WBA,” Brewer said in a statement.
Based in Deerfield, Illinois, Walgreens says it employs more than 450,000 people and has more than 21,000 stores globally.
Ursula Burns was the first Black woman to run a Fortune 500 company when she became CEO of Xerox in 2009. But she lost that role in 2016 when Xerox split into two companies.
There are only a handful of other Black CEOs in the Fortune 500, including Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.