Walgreens announced an enhanced daily living business organization with the promotion and leadership expansion of key marketing and merchandising executives to further accelerate the company’s strategic growth drivers and advance its vision to be the first choice in health and daily living for everyone in America, and beyond.
The promotions and other changes in Walgreens' daily living organization, which are effective October 1, accompany the announcement by Walgreens and Alliance Boots GmbH that Alex Gourlay, chief executive of Alliance Boots' health and beauty division, has been named Walgreens' executive vice president, president of customer experience and daily living. Reporting to Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson, Gourlay will lead the enhanced Walgreens daily living organization overseeing U.S. merchandising, marketing, customer insights, customer experience and daily living products and promotions.
“With our enhanced daily living and merchandising organization, combined with Alex Gourlay’s experience and expertise in global health and beauty, we are further expanding and complementing Walgreens already strong leadership team including Mark Wagner, president of operations and community management; Kermit Crawford, president of pharmacy, health and wellness; Graham Atkinson, our chief marketing officer and the creator of our 79-million member Balance Rewards loyalty program; and Sona Chawla, president of e-commerce and our omni-channel strategy,” said Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson. “By combining the best marketing and merchandising practices of Walgreens and Alliance Boots, we are accelerating our ‘Well Experience’ strategy to step out of the traditional drugstore format and create a truly differentiated experience for customers and patients.”
The announcement includes a number of promotions and expansion of leadership roles of Walgreens daily living and merchandising executives:
- Bryan Pugh becomes corporate vice president, U.S. merchandising program development and execution. As Walgreens continues to hone and expand transformational merchandise programs and prepares for further joint merchandise initiatives with Alliance Boots across beauty, personal care, health and wellness, Pugh’s newly created role will bridge operations and merchandising functions and oversee rollout of new merchandising initiatives to the field, including operating standards, cross-functional deployment and flagship rollout.
- Moe Alkemade becomes group vice president, global sourcing. With his deep experience in developing and marketing consumer-packaged goods programs, Alkemade successfully led the restructuring and strong growth trajectory of Walgreens private brand portfolio, and established the foundation for Walgreens global sourcing capabilities. In his newly created role, Alkemade will focus on optimizing global sourcing and daily living buying synergies with Alliance Boots and AmerisourceBergen.
- Shannon Curtin is promoted to group vice president and general merchandise manager, beauty. Curtin will accelerate development and growth of Walgreens beauty proposition and customer experience across the United States, particularly underserved U.S. markets, and collaborate with the Alliance Boots and global partnership teams in maximizing U.S. opportunities for the Boots beauty proposition.
- Robert Tompkins is promoted to group vice president and general nerchandise manager, health and wellness. Tompkins will accelerate development of innovative health and wellness products and programs for the U.S., collaborating with Alliance Boots and global partnership teams on joint program development.
- Jim Jensen becomes divisional vice president and general merchandise manager, seasonal and general merchandise, providing high-level, single-accountability focus on seasonal daily living products and promotions that are a key driver in Walgreens monthly daily living sales.
- Beth Stiller is promoted to group vice president, category planning, formats and innovation, and takes on an expanded role in merchandising with responsibility for category development, space planning, merchandise formats and program innovation, and private brands.
- And Linda Severin, formerly of Kroger, where she led the redevelopment of its private brand portfolio, joins Walgreens as divisional vice president, private brands, responsible for product development, brand management and program execution of Walgreens private brands.
