Kermit R. Crawford President, Pharmacy, Health and Wellness, Walgreen Co.
“ Early on, I believed I could inspire and motivate people. I understood that people don’t know how much you know, until they know how much you care.” In 2012, Kermit Crawford was named by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America.” In 2011, Chain Drug Review named Walgreens “Retailer of the Year” and recognized Crawford among Walgreens' top five executives. In 2009, Crawford was honored by Chain Drug Review as the “Pharmacy Executive of the Year. In 1983, Crawford began his career with Walgreens as a pharmacy intern. He is now the president of the Pharmacy, Health and Wellness division, accountable for the process, procedure, operations, and P&L for the pharmacy side of the company. This division operates 8,067 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico; 70,000 healthcare providers; 26,000 pharmacists; over 700 healthcare clinics; and 119 medical campus pharmacies. While others tout his leadership acumen and expertise, Crawford credits his strong work ethic. Explains Crawford, “One of my mentors said, ‘Hard work beats talent every time, when talent doesn’t work hard.’ Here at Walgreens, I’ve always been rewarded for performance and for hard work.” He believes a diverse pipeline is even more critical in business today. “At one time, I had hired, mentored, developed or trained nearly every African American district manager that was at Walgreens. Now those folks are located in Texas, Georgia, Florida, and other parts of the company. Our company is one that has embraced diversity, from the board level to the senior management level. I think we have benefitted greatly from the diversity of thought. Today, leaders are managing global issues in a 24-hour business cycle. We have to support our best people to understand the roles, demands, and considerations, and how to manage them, for the good of our employees, customers and shareholders.”
• As a student, Crawford’s dream was to run a drug
store. “I felt like by being a pharmacist, I could make a difference. I could give back to the community. And today, instead of one store, I’m basically running over 8,000 of them.”
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Allstate Corporation
• Also serves on the Boards of Directors of several
nonprofit organizations including the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, and the American Diabetes Association, Northern Illinois and Indiana region
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