Walgreens’ new CEO will be the only Black woman leading a Fortune 500 company
Walgreens has tapped Starbucks executive Roz Brewer as its new CEO, which will make her the only Black woman leading a Fortune 500 company.
Coffee giant 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 of the drugstore chain for six years following the merger of Walgreens and Alliance Boots in 2014. Pessina will transition to the post of executive chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance’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 that employees could focus on customers and speed up service. She helped grow Starbucks’ rewards program and pushed for more diversity in its ranks.
The woman, who had a Trump 2020 mask draped below her chin but not covering her face, yells, ‘This is America and I don’t have to do what you say.’
Prior to joining Starbucks, Brewer served as president and CEO of Sam’s Club, the members-only warehouse channel of Walmart. She also increased 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.
Brewer said she was excited to innovate in the healthcare industry at Walgreens, especially as the company helps combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I step into this role with great optimism for the future of WBA,” Brewer said in a statement.
In recent months, corporate America’s corner office has gotten a little less diverse when it comes to the number of African Americans.
Based in Deerfield, Ill., 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.
