Walgreens CEO Greg Wasson to retire on completion of merger with Alliance Boots

DEERFIELD, Ill. - Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson informed the company’s board of directors that he will retire shortly after the completion of the merger between Walgreens and Alliance Boots, of which shareholders are scheduled to vote on Dec. 29, 2014.



Following Wasson’s retirement, Walgreens chairman James Skinner will become Walgreens Boots Alliance’s executive chairman, and Stefano Pessina, executive chairman of Alliance Boots and a member of the Walgreens board of directors, will serve as its acting CEO, pending a board search for a successor.



In addition, William Foote will serve as the lead independent director of the Walgreens Boots Alliance board of directors.



“When I became CEO six years ago, I had three goals – to transform the front end of Walgreens drugstores, to advance the role that community pharmacy plays in health care and to find the right partner to take Walgreens global,” Wasson said. “With the creation of Walgreens Boots Alliance, it is now time for new leadership to move that vision forward building on the global platform we have created, executing on the company’s many opportunities and creating long-term sustainable value for our customers and shareholders. I have had to work with so many incredible people since joining Walgreens over 35 years ago, and I am committed to doing my best to achieve the smoothest possible leadership transition.”



Said chairman Skinner, “Greg Wasson has been an excellent, visionary CEO, and the personification of Walgreens best qualities since he joined the company 35 years ago. On becoming CEO in 2009, at a challenging time for all retailers, Greg led the company through a remarkable transformation, including establishing Walgreens as a vital partner in the delivery of modern community health care to U.S. consumers and taking the company global with Alliance Boots. During his tenure, he helped the company deliver total shareholder returns exceeding the S&P 500 and generating more free cash flow over six years than in the previous 98 years combined.



Wasson joined Walgreens in 1980 as a pharmacy intern while still at Purdue University’s School of Pharmacy. Over several years, he moved from managing pharmacies in Houston to become regional vice president of store operations.



From there he took on various executive roles in the Walgreens Health Initiatives division, leading to his promotion to chief operating officer and ultimately to chief executive officer. On becoming CEO, Wasson focused immediately on tackling retail pharmacy’s challenges, from the severe economic recession, to the rapid commoditization of retail consumer sales and pharmacy services, to rising drug prices and mounting reimbursement pressures.



He launched “Walgreens Plan to Win,” a blueprint designed to revive and reinvent Walgreens for the new era. “Plan to Win” transitioned the company from a program of rapid organic store openings to a strategy leveraging core businesses to improve the customer experience and return the company to strong double-digit earnings growth and top-tier shareholder returns. In 2010, he led the acquisition of Duane Reade and, in 2012, identified the opportunity to begin the process of the strategic partnership with Alliance Boots.



In addition to Walgreens, Wasson is on the boards of Alliance Boots GmbH, AmerisourceBergen and Verizon.