Walgreens Boots Alliance appoints Tom Polen to board

Healthcare group Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) announced the appointment of Tom Polen to the company’s board of directors.

To the role, Polen brings over 25 years of experience in similar industries, providing him with the knowledge to aid in WBA’s goal of accelerating its healthcare transformation and growth strategy.

He will serve on the board’s finance and technology committee.

Currently, Polen is the chairman, CEO and president of medical company Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), prior to which he had held several leadership positions at the same firm.

At BD, Polen has been credited with helping transform into a higher growth portfolio and extending into more impactful markets, as well as leading the company through a number of strategic moves, including its acquisition of CareFusion.

In his role as CEO, the exec has further transformed BD into a tech driven leader, strengthening research and development pipelines and supporting a robust simplification strategy, according to WBA.

Polen also currently serves on the board of AdvaMed and Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation.

In a release, WBA CEO, Roz Brewer, said: “Tom is a strong addition to our board. He joins at a pivotal time as we enter the next phase of our healthcare transformation.

“As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, his extensive industry and technology experience will be a great benefit to delivering on our consumer-centric healthcare strategy and driving long-term shareholder value.”