Diab to lead health & wellness at Walmart

Labeed Diab has been named SVP and president of health and wellness at Walmart, filling a position previously held by Dr. John Agwunobi who left the company.

Diab previous served as SVP of pharmacy operations for Walmart’s Midwest division and was based in Chicago. He joined the company in 2009 as a director of operations and began his career as a pharmacy manager with American Stores and also served in regional and divisional operations roles with CVS Caremark and Rite Aid. He graduated with a bachelor of science in pharmacy and a minor in business administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

“The passion and commitment to our customers Labeed has will ensure we continue to accelerate our health and wellness growth in the future, helping even more Americans get access to high quality, innovative and affordable healthcare solutions,” Walmart chief merchandising officer Duncan Mac Naughton said in an internal announcement. “Our health and wellness business is an important category for our customers and our company, and we are committed to investing for future growth.”

Diab fills a position previously held by Agwunobi who came to be known affectionately at Walmart as Dr. John. He joined the company in September 2007 and during his tenure played a key role in developing health and wellness solutions that significantly lowered the cost of healthcare for millions of Americans, according to Mac Naughton.

“He made enhancements to the prescription program, which drove down prescription medication costs and provided ongoing savings through our pharmacy offerings,” Mac Naughton said. “And he has continued to drive innovation in the space by testing new concepts that position Walmart well for the future. Now, as the face of healthcare in America continues to change, he’s looking forward to exploring and engaging in other areas in the field.”

Labeed has a strong background in operations and health care and during his leadership of the company’s Midwest division Walmart was able to penetrate Chicago with small format concept stores, according to the announcement.

“As a college student, I decided to pursue a career in pharmacy.Healthcare was my passion then and it remains my passion today,” Diab said.“With millions of customers shopping our stores every day, we have a responsibility to provide best-in-class healthcare for our customers. In this new role, I look forward to going back to my days of educating customers and offering healthcare products and services that will help our customers live healthier lives.”