Walgreens’ New Hires to Play Pivotal Roles in Leadership
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA) CEO Rosalind “Roz” Brewer continues to build her leadership team with the appointment of two key executive positions: Holly May as EVP and global chief human resources officer, and Anita Allemand as chief transformation and integration officer — a newly created role.
“Holly and Anita are both strong and proven leaders joining us at a pivotal, exciting time, and I’m pleased to welcome them to the WBA family,” Brewer said. “Holly brings a wealth of global human resources experience and will play a critical role in activating our purpose, vision and values as part of our new culture. And as we further innovate to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers and patients, Anita’s leadership, pharmacy expertise and passion for health care innovation will be instrumental in accelerating our strategies to serve as a neighborhood health destination.”
Joining WBA in late October, May will be responsible for the strategy and direction of innovative global HR programs, policies and practices that support WBA’s business goals and initiatives, and for ensuring fair and equitable treatment for all team members. This includes providing leadership for organizational design and effectiveness; talent management and acquisition; total rewards; diversity, equity and inclusion; global mobility; and other programs.
Most recently, May was global chief human resources officer for Abercrombie & Fitch Co., managing all aspects of HR and environmental, social and governance efforts across the company. She previously worked for Starbucks as SVP of global total rewards and service delivery.
“I am very excited to join WBA at this pivotal point in the organization’s journey, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure the company and its brands stand out as an employer of choice in the industry,” May said. “I have been inspired by Roz’s vision and commitment to creating the best possible workplace environment and culture to support WBA team members. I share her passion for innovation and look forward to further developing a world-class HR function to best support the company’s strategic priorities.”
Joining WBA on Oct. 29, Allemand will be responsible for supporting Brewer as a strategic thought leader, and to establish and lead the overall transformation agenda for the company as it prioritizes its strategy and path forward in health care. She will work closely with WBA and divisional executive leaders to ensure alignment across all transformation activities and initiatives, with a special focus on coordination and alignment of digital efforts. Allemand will also oversee and serve as the point of integration for matters regarding the company’s transformation strategy, while identifying and further developing relationships with leading health care players in the U.S. market.
Prior to joining WBA, Allemand, a pharmacist by trade, was SVP of health solutions for Optum, a UnitedHealth Group company, in which capacity she was responsible for an expansive product portfolio encompassing health and wellness, consumer advocacy and navigation, case and chronic condition management, cost-of-care reduction across total health care, and more. She previously spent 16 years with CVS Health in a number of leadership positions, most recently as SVP, product innovation and development.
“I have always had a great passion for health care, and pharmacy in particular, and WBA is ideally positioned in so many ways to offer even more to patients. I look forward to us capitalizing on many future opportunities,” Allemand said. “Today’s health care landscape is dynamic and ever-changing, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further demonstrated the critical role that pharmacists can play across the spectrum of health care delivery. As we move forward, I’m incredibly excited about WBA creating innovative solutions to meet the whole-person health needs of the millions of customers and patients it serves each day.”
The new appointments come weeks after the release of WBA’s second diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) report, which covered fiscal 2020 and 2021. The report showed that the company has increased the representation of women and people of color in leadership year over year.
“At WBA, our mission is to ingrain diversity, equity and inclusion into everything we do, and that mission is resonating throughout our company,” said Brewer, who was became CEO in January.
Brewer also recently hired Tracey Brown and Danielle Gray to join her senior leadership team. Brown was selected as head merchant, while Gray was appointed to the role of EVP and global chief legal officer.
Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens is included in the Retail Pharmacy USA division of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. The drug store chain operates more than 9,000 retail locations across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, serving about 8 million customers daily. Walgreens is No. 5 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. With its CVS Pharmacy subsidiary operating almost 10,000 locations nationwide, Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS Health is No. 7 on PG’s list.
