Walgreens Boots names global legal officer

Walgreens Boots Alliance has appointed Marco Pagni, formerly group legal counsel and chief administrative officer of Alliance Boots, as EVP and global chief legal and administrative officer, effective immediately.

In this role, Pagni will oversee all global legal affairs for Walgreens Boots Alliance and its divisions, including strategy and mergers and acquisitions, working with acting CEO Stefano Pessina. From 2007, Pagni served as group legal counsel and chief administrative officer of Alliance Boots. Previously, he was general counsel and company secretary for Alliance Boots, having joined Alliance UniChem, a predecessor company, in the same position in 2003.

Prior to this, Pagni served at McDonald's Corporation for 10 years in a number of senior management positions across the world, including in the U.S. and U.K., such as VP international development, and VP, general counsel, international. Pagni has also held significant roles at Texas Instruments. He attended Keble College, Oxford, and holds both a BA in law and a BCL from Oxford University. He began his career as a lecturer in undergraduate law at Oxford University and in 1988 was admitted to practice law by the Bar of England and Wales.

The company also appointed Jan Stern Reed, most recently corporate vice president, general counsel for Walgreens, as SVP, general counsel and corporate secretary for Walgreens Boots Alliance. She will also continue serving as general counsel for Walgreens. Reed joined Walgreens in 2013 as corporate VP and deputy general counsel, becoming general counsel for Walgreens in 2014. Previously she served as EVP human resources, general counsel and corporate secretary at Solo Cup Company, and prior to that as associate general counsel, chief governance officer and corporate secretary at Baxter International. Reed earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a JD from Northwestern University, and is a member of the Illinois Bar.

"As Walgreens Boots Alliance continues to establish an exceptional global leadership team, we welcome Marco to this important senior management position as the company's chief legal and administrative officer. We also congratulate Jan on her new role as general counsel of Walgreens Boots Alliance and corporate secretary to our board," stated Jim Skinner, Walgreens Boots Alliance executive chairman. "Having worked with Marco while at McDonald's, and Jan at Walgreens, I have experienced first-hand what top-notch leaders, professionals and individuals they are. I am confident that Marco and Jan are the right choices to help support the company's vision, growth and value-creation strategies going forward."

Stefano Pessina, executive vice chairman and acting CEO, said, "As colleagues who have collaborated closely for more than a decade, I look forward to continuing to count not only on Marco's unmatched experience and expertise in both the global legal and corporate administrative areas, but also his keen strategic business sense in driving growth and value. With the support of Jan Reed in her new leadership and senior advisory role for the global enterprise as general counsel and corporate secretary, I have every confidence that Marco and the rest of his team will play a leading role in the ongoing development and success of Walgreens Boots Alliance."