Walgreens Boots Alliance announces fresh slate of executives, as new CEO Roz Brewer assembles team

Walgreens Boots Alliance announced a fresh slate of top executives on Friday as new CEO Roz Brewer assembles her team and aims to reinvigorate the brand.

Brewer stepped into the leadership role in mid-March. She is the former chief operating officer of Starbucks. She took over the job at a time when the drugstore chain is chasing new growth opportunities and trying to stay relevant as more people buy items and fill prescriptions online.

Among its efforts, the company plans to open doctor’s offices in hundreds of drugstores with primary-care company VillageMD. It has revamped its mobile app and loyalty program. And it has added new ways to get online purchases quickly, such as curbside pickup in as little as 30 minutes.

Brewer said the new hires will play a key role with that.

“They will be instrumental in continuing to build momentum across our business, as we further innovate, and work to define the future of health and well-being in the communities we serve for many years to come,” she said in a press release.

Here are the new appointments announced Friday:

• Danielle Gray will become the global chief legal officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance. She previously worked for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, where she was senior vice president, chief legal and administrative officer and corporate secretary since 2018. She will report to Brewer and start the role in mid-September.
• Tracey Brown was named president of retail products and chief customer officer, a newly created role. Since 2018, she has been the CEO of the American Diabetes Association. Prior to that, she was senior vice president of operations and chief experience officer for Walmart and Sam’s Club. She will report to John Standley, president of Walgreens, and will begin the role in early November.

• Jeff Gruener will become the CFO of Walgreens, the U.S. segment of Walgreens Boots Alliance, on Monday. He previously worked at Walmart for 12 years, holding roles including senior vice president of finance and strategy and vice president of finance for Sam’s Club. In those roles, he helped oversee the financial side of Walmart’s health-care offerings, including store pharmacies. He will report to James Kehoe, the CFO of Walgreens Boots Alliance.