Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer steps down

Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer is stepping down as the leader of the Northbrook, Ill.-based company and will also no longer be a member of the board of directors. Ginger Graham, the lead independent director of Walgreens Boots Alliance, will now serve as interim CEO for Walgreens.

Brewer and Walgreens mutually agreed to part ways, according to a statement from Walgreens, and Brewer will serve as an advisor during the search for a permanent CEO.

Brewer took over as CEO in March 2021 during the height of COVID-19, and when vaccines for the virus were becoming available for the first time in the U.S. She created and led a team that formed the technology for a vaccine scheduling system, developed a safe operating model for employees during the pandemic, and devised a plan to drive vaccine equity.

“I am proud of what we accomplished together,” Brewer said. “We’ve improved the lives of our employees, expanded healthcare services for our customers and enhanced our ability to deliver on our purpose of ‘more joyful lives through better health.

“Over the past several years, we have recruited a world class team to [Walgreens Boots Alliance], including the first-ever chief customer officer and the first-ever president of U.S. Healthcare, and invested deeply in the improvement of the company’s overall culture.”

“Roz navigated the company through the global pandemic, overseeing the critical rollout of vaccines in Walgreens pharmacies and to high-risk populations across the country,” said Stefano Pessina, executive chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance. “She furthered our consumer-facing capabilities while supporting the culture of community and team-member engagement in difficult times. We appreciate her hard work and commitment to the company during this period of unprecedented change.”

Graham has held leadership positions in the healthcare industry for the last three decades and has served on the Walgreens Boots Alliance Board of Directors since 2010. Between 2003 and 2007, she was president and CEO of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on medicines for people with diabetes. 

She also previously served as chief operations officer and group president of Starbucks, as well as CEO of Sam’s Club.