Building a winning leadership team for Alliance Healthcare

The Customer

Walgreens Boots Alliance (Nasdaq: WBA) is a global leader in retail and wholesale pharmacy, WBA is the largest retail pharmacy, health and daily living destination across the U.S. and Europe. WBA is present in more than 25 countries and employs more than 440,000 people, has more than 18,750 stores in 11 countries. Furthermore it has one of the largest global pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution networks, with more than 400 distribution centers delivering to more than 240,000 pharmacies, doctors, health centers and hospitals each year in more than 20 countries.

The Company’s portfolio of retail and business brands includes Walgreens, Duane Reade, Boots and Alliance Healthcare, as well as increasingly global health and beauty product brands, such as No7, Soap & Glory, Liz Earle, Botanics, Sleek MakeUP and YourGoodSkin.

Alliance Healthcare the Netherlands (AHC) represents most of WBA business lines including two Pharmacy retails brands (Boots & Alphega) with over 220 stores as well as a Pharmacy wholesale, dedicated patient care (Allcura) and a Pharmacy Logistics provider (Alloga) with a total local revenue of over € 1,3 Bio.

The Project

Based on a compelling vision and driven by autonomous growth as well as by a variety of mergers, acquisitions and rebrands, AHC has become a diversified business with a strong ambition to further strengthen its market position and to grow marketshare. This requires regular reverification of the strategy, resulting in organizational transformation. In this respect, AHC was in need of new leadership to shape, a modern lean and mean organization and to realize its ambitious growth path.

Kienbaum set out to find several new leaders for the company Board including a new CFO and a new IT Director. The new leaders not only had to bring the required know how in their field of expertise but also a proven track in managing transformation. Needless to say, they also had to fit the new leadership DNA in order to co-shape the desired company culture.

Kienbaum managed to identify and onboard the right leaders through its proven expertise, dedicated and transparent search process as well as sound candidate experience. Today, our company has managed to realize significant synergies and is on a bumpy, however impressive, growth path. During this period of transformation, Kienbaum has conducted more than a handful of searches for AHC.
Jean Nijsten, HR Director