Walgreens said Tuesday it has appointed Starbucks executive Roz Brewer as the new CEO, making her the only black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company.
Starbucks announced Tuesday that Brewer would leave after just over three years as chief operating officer. Walgreens later confirmed that Brewer will take over as CEO on March 15th.
Brewer succeeds Stefano Pessina, who served as CEO for six years after the merger between Walgreens and Alliance Boots in 2014. Pessina will become executive chairman of the board of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.
Pessina praised Brewer’s experience in operations, customer relations, talent development and digital innovation.
“She is a distinguished and experienced executive who has led organizations around the world through periods of changing consumer behavior by applying innovations that elevate customer experiences,” Pessina said.
At Starbucks, Brewer renovated stores, eliminating inconvenience and reducing administrative work so employees could focus on customers and speed up service. It helped grow Starbucks ’rewards program and boosted more diversity in its ranks.
Prior to joining Starbucks, Brewer was president and CEO of Sam’s Club, the exclusive store channel for Walmart Inc. members. He also increased his affiliation and improved his merchandise.
Earlier, Brewer was with Kimberly-Clark Corp for 22 years. Brewer __ who holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Spelman College __, began Kimberly-Clark as a scientist and eventually served as president of the global nonwoven sector.
Brewer said she is thrilled to innovate in the healthcare industry at Walgreens, especially because the company helps fight the coronavirus pandemic.
“I put myself in this role with great optimism for the future of the WBA,” Brewer said in a statement.
Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Walgreens says it employs more than 450,000 people and has more than 21,000 stores worldwide.
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 on the Fortune 500, including Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison.