Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. lost Chief Information Officer Hsiao Wang just over a year after he was named to the post amid a wider leadership shakeup at the drugstore chain.
In an internal note viewed by Bloomberg News, interim Chief Executive Officer Ginger Graham said Wang had been on a leave of absence but that effective immediately, he’s no longer with the company. Neal Sample, a consultant and former CIO at Northwestern Mutual, will step in to help Graham make decisions about new tech initiatives. He will also sit in on the executive committee, according to the note.
A Walgreens spokesperson confirmed the news.
Read More: Walgreens CEO Departs After Push Into Health Care Falls Flat
Walgreens is searching for a host of new executives after former CEO Rosalind Brewer departed abruptly about a month ago and ex-CFO James Kehoe stepped down in July after five years at the company. Investors have been cheered by the possibility of a C-suite with more experience in health care: Walgreens shares gained the most in almost a year Friday after Bloomberg News reported that, according to people with knowledge of the matter, Tim Wentworth, a former pharmacy benefits manager CEO, is under consideration to take the helm.
The stock was little changed as of noon on Monday in New York.
When announcing that Brewer had stepped down, Walgreens said it would “search for a successor with deep healthcare experience to lead in today’s dynamic environment.” Walgreens moves may already signal a trend in that direction.
Sample previously held both chief information officer and chief operating officer roles at Express Scripts, a top pharmacy benefits manager that was purchased by Cigna. Before Brewer hired Wang, he was CIO of arts-and-crafts retailer Michaels.
Read More: Investors, Analysts Want Health-Care Experience Atop Walgreens
Brewer, a longtime retail executive, came to Walgreens from Starbucks Corp. Walgreens Chairman Stefano Pessina said at the time that her digital expertise and leadership skills would make up for her lack of experience in health care.
She sought to use acquisitions and expansion into more dimensions of health care to make Walgreens a bigger player, but the shares lost about half their value during her tenure. Brewer left the CEO post at the end of August after just 2 1/2 years on the job.
(Updates with other executive searches in fourth paragraph.)
