Rosalind G. Brewer (born 1962) is an American businesswoman and former CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, before stepping down in September 2023.
Rosalind Brewer was born in 1962 in Detroit, Michigan,[5] the youngest of five children; they were the first generation in her family to attend college.
[6] In 1980, upon graduating from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Brewer enrolled at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia where she completed her bachelor's degree in chemistry.
[10] Brewer has held executive positions at Kimberly-Clark, Walmart, Sam's Club, Starbucks, and Walgreens Boots Alliance.
[6] In 1984, after graduating from Spelman College, Brewer began her career as a research technician at Kimberly-Clark, a global paper-based product company, till 1988.
[15][16] She focused on health and wellness by doubling the number of organic products offered at Sam's Clubs.
"[40] Brewer described a specific incident when she was meeting with a supplier, and she recollected, "the entire other side of the table was all Caucasian male.
"[40] Brewer chose not to address the lack of diversity when meeting with the group, but said she was "going to make a call" to the supplier.
[40] In response to her comments, Brewer faced repercussions, as many individuals on social media called her "racist.
"[21] In support of Brewer's statement, Doug McMillon, Walmart's president and CEO, subsequently wrote in a statement, "For years, we've asked our suppliers to prioritize the talent and diversity of their sales teams calling on our company, Roz was simply trying to reiterate that we believe diverse and inclusive teams make for a stronger business.
"[40] Shortly after becoming the COO and group president of Starbucks, the company was met with nationwide protests and negative publicity because of the arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia store location.
[41] In response, Brewer and her team implemented policy changes and instituted racial bias training for employees in 8,000 stores.