1 September 2020 - Deborah Wilkes
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has hired John Standley – former president, chief executive officer and chairman of Rite Aid – as president of its US drugstore chain Walgreens with immediate effect.
Standley takes over from WBA’s co-chief operating officer Alex Gourlay, who has been president of Walgreens on an interim basis.
WBA said Standley had a “deep background in pharmacy, retail and healthcare”.
Stefano Pessina, WBA’s executive vice chairman and chief executive officer, commented that Standley’s “leadership experience and strong understanding of our industry and the US healthcare markets will allow him to hit the ground running and drive our transformation”.
Rite Aid announced in March 2019 that Standley was leaving the company. He was replaced as chief executive officer by Heyward Donigan in August 2019 (click here to read the News story).
In addition to his positions at Rite Aid, Standley is a former chief executive officer of Pathmark Stores, and a former chair of the US National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS).