Walgreens said Tuesday it has named Starbucks executive Roz Brewer as its new CEO, making it the only black woman to run a Fortune 500 company.
Starbucks announced on Tuesday that Brewer is leaving after just over three years as chief operating officer. Walgreens later confirmed that Brewer will take over as CEO on March 15.
Brewer succeeds Stefano Pessina, who served as CEO for six years after the merger of Walgreens and Alliance Boots in 2014. Pessina will move to the executive chairman of the board of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.
Pessina appreciated Brewer’s expertise in operations, customer relations, talent development and digital innovation.
“He is a distinguished and experienced executive, who has led organizations globally through periods of changing consumer behavior by applying innovation that elevates customer experiences,” said Pessina.
At Starbucks, Brewer has renovated stores, eliminating clutter and reducing administrative activity so employees can focus on customers and speed up services. She has helped grow the Starbucks rewards program and promoted more diversity.
Prior to joining Starbucks, Brewer served as president and CEO of Sam’s Club, the exclusive deposit channel for Walmart Inc. members. It has also increased its membership and improved its merchandise.
Prior to that, Brewer was with Kimberly-Clark Corp. for 22 years. Brewer __, who holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Spelman College __, started at Kimberly-Clark as a scientist and eventually served as president of the global nonwoven fabric sector.
Brewer said she is excited to innovate in Walgreens’ healthcare industry, especially as the company helps fight the coronavirus pandemic.
“I stepped into this role with great optimism for the future of the WBA,” Brewer said in a statement.
Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Walgreens says it has more than 450,000 employees and 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 in the Fortune 500, including Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison.