Walgreens taps bank exec as marketing head

Walgreens has named a chief marketing office with a digital background.

The drugstore giant has appointed Patrick McLean as chief marketing officer, effective Nov.4.  He replaces Alyssa Raine, who was named acting chief marketing officer in May after chief marketer Adam Holyk, took on the position of senior VP of consumer and retail services. Raine remains at Walgreens as VP of brand marketing, brand marketing strategy and planning.

Prior to joining Walgreens, McLean served as  as executive VP, chief marketing officer and head of corporate and public affairs at TD Bank,  where he helped engineer a digital first and data-driven strategy.

Previously, he was VP, digital brand strategy and digital CMO at Capital One Financial Corporation, and head of interactive marketing and e-commerce at Verizon. 

At Walgreens, McLean will report to Vineet Mehra, global chief marketing officer of Walgreens parent  Walgreens Boots Alliance.

“At WBA, we are at the intersection of healthcare, beauty and retail, and therefore our content needs to be deeply personal and relevant,” stated Mehra. "Patrick McLean shares our vision to approach marketing through a personalized, customer-obsessed lens, and ensuring that we deliver extraordinary experiences that enrich our customers’ lives. We are thrilled to have him join our team and lead us through this next phase of our growth."