Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer Is a Powerhouse, VP Harris' Sorority Sister

Roz Brewer is one of two Black female CEOs in the Fortune 500. How did she get here? Keep reading to learn how Brewer became a powerhouse.

Rachel Curry - Author
By

May 5 2021, Published 12:25 p.m. ET

Since she graduated college and left her sorority in the 1980s, Rosalind "Roz" Brewer has been building her career in retail executive leadership. Going from an entry-level role at Kimberly-Clark to the chief operating officer at Starbucks wasn't the end of her trajectory. Now, as Walgreens CEO, Brewer is breaking glass ceilings for Black women and others who are marginalized in the workforce.

Article continues below advertisement

Here's Brewer's influence, explained—plus how much net worth she has amassed in her highly successful career.  

Roz Brewer has ties to VP Kamala Harris with AKA sorority

Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first intercollegiate historically Black sorority and it has been around since 1908. Vice President Kamala Harris was a member of AKA during her time at Howard University. Roz Brewer, too, joined while at Spelman College.

Article continues below advertisement

Other noteworthy Black women have ties to AKA. Author Toni Morrison was a member at Howard University. Honorary members include Coretta Scott King, Maya Angelou, and Ava Duvarney (an American filmmaker who created a documentary about the 13th amendment called "13th"). 

Roz Brewer named Walgreen's CEO, becomes one of two Black women CEOs of a Fortune 500 company.

Brewer became COO of Starbucks in 2017, shortly after being nominated for the company's board of directors. She was second in line below CEO Kevin Johnson.

Article continues below advertisement

By 2019, Brewer became the only Black woman to serve on the board of Amazon.

In early 2021, Walgreens Boots Alliance announced that it was planning to appoint Brewer as the CEO. The move came into effect on March 15. This isn't her first CEO role—she was formerly CEO at Sam's Club—but this position is much more globally prominent.  

Article continues below advertisement

All of this success isn't in vain. Brewer has received numerous honors during her career. Most recently, Fortune ranked her the 27th most powerful woman in the world in 2020. That same year, Forbes placed her number 48 on the World's 100 Most Powerful Women list.

Walgreens (NASDAQ:WBA) investors seem to be hype over the news of Brewer's leadership. Shares for the company are up 30.56 percent YTD, with nearly 20 percent of that growth occurring in the four weeks surrounding her official appointment. 

Article continues below advertisement

What is Roz Brewer's net worth?

While working at Starbucks, Brewer made an annual salary of about $8.02 million. This is less than CEO Johnson, who reportedly makes $14.7 million per year. 

In the 2019 annual Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) shareholders meeting, shareholders voted against executive compensation, which prevented Johnson from receiving an additional $50 million and Brewer from getting $10 million for their three-year retainment through 2022. This type of shareholder vote usually gets approved, so it's a highly interesting piece of the puzzle, especially since Brewer ultimately moved on to another position.

Article continues below advertisement

Brewer's current salary as Walgreens CEO has yet to be released. However, former Walgreens CEO Stefano Pessina made nearly $17.5 million in 2020. 

Brewer is married to John Brewer and the couple have two children together. 

Advertisement

Latest Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc News and Updates

    Opt-out of personalized ads

    © Copyright 2024 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.