Brewer is scheduled to start on March 15, Walgreens said on Tuesday. She currently serves as director of operations for Starbucks and will remain in the role until the end of February. The coffee company announced its departure on Tuesday.
“I’m excited to work alongside all the [Walgreens Boots Alliance] as we offer more innovation and positively impact the lives of millions of people around the world every day, “said Brewer in a statement.” This is especially true today, as the company plays a crucial role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. ”
Brewer will succeed Stefano Pessina, who became CEO of Walgreens in 2015. The drugstore chain announced its decision to step down in July.
“It’s great to see you in this position,” said Lorraine Hariton, president and CEO of Catalyst, a nonprofit research group that tracks the number of women serving in leadership positions at large companies.
Only one other black woman, former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, has ever held the position of chief executive at a Fortune 500 company, Hariton said.
“We are definitely accelerating the number of female CEOs, period, in the Fortune 500,” said Hariton. But “as far as black women are concerned, this has been a place that has been left behind,” she said. “We still have to work to really have a channel for women of color.”