Walgreens said Tuesday he has named Starbucks CEO Roz Brewer as his new CEO, which will make her the only black woman to run a Fortune 500 company.
Starbucks announced on Tuesday that Brewer will retire after just over three years as chief operating officer. Walgreens later confirmed that Brewer will take over as its chief executive on March 15.
Brewer succeeds Stefano Pessina, who was CEO for six years after the merger between Walgreens and Alliance Boots in 2014. Pessina passes to executive chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. ‘s board.
Pessina praised Brewer’s expertise in operations, customer relationships, talent development and digital innovation.
“She is a respected and experienced manager who has led organizations worldwide through periods of changing consumer behavior by applying innovation that enhances the customer’s experience,” Pessina said.
At Starbucks, Brewer renovated stores, depleted clutter and reduced administrative work, allowing employees to focus on customers and speed up service. She helped grow Starbucks’ rewards program and insisted on more diversity in its ranks.
Prior to joining Starbucks, Brewer was president and CEO of Sam’s Club, the only warehouse channel of Walmart Inc. She also expanded his membership and improved the merchandise there.
Prior to that, Brewer was with Kimberly-Clark Corp. for 22 years. Brouwer __ with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Spelman College __ started as a scientist in Kimberly-Clark and eventually became president of the Global Nonwovens Sector.
Brewer said she is excited to innovate in the healthcare industry at Walgreens, especially as the company helps combat the coronavirus pandemic.
“I enter this role with great optimism for the future of WBA,” Brewer said in a statement.
Walgreens, based in Deerfield, Illinois, 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 the role in 2016 when Xerox split into two companies.
There are only a handful of other black CEOs in the Fortune 500, including Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s CEO.