DEERFIELD, Ill. — All around the world Walgreens Boots Alliance’s teams have moved to working remotely during the lockdown/shelter period, and Annie Murphy, the company’s global chief commercial officer, has been tremendously impressed at how quickly they have adapted.

Annie Murphy

“They have embraced new technology and completely new ways of working while balancing their incredible commitment to work with new and unexpected challenges like home schooling,” says Murphy. “What’s interesting is the way that we have worked hard to build connectivity with one another on a personal as well as professional basis. I am very proud of how adaptable and productive our teams have been.”

For Murphy’s own agenda, there have clearly been some critical priorities that she needed to deal with, given the vital role that WBA plays in serving local communities with their health and personal care needs. The company has seen dramatic shifts in customer behavior during this period, giving it the chance to embrace new opportunities — particularly in the digital space — which has been exciting and produced valuable learnings.

The pandemic has fundamentally changed customer behaviors and expectations and, as a customer-focused business, WBA is quickly responding, she notes. “I am working with my colleagues across WBA to dial up our approach to innovation, services, loyalty and value, and recognize the importance of how consumers access our brand both digitally and through our expansive store network in a frictionless way,” she comments.

Murphy, whose responsibilities include global brands, notes that in the U.K., No7 and Soap & Glory have established themselves as highly popular ranges, and it has been really exciting to see them expand with great success not only in the U.S. but also in Asia. “Both brands have really clear, strong customer propositions and offer consumers great value and fantastic quality, which makes them a perfect fit for Walgreens.”

She is especially delighted that, despite the challenges COVID-19 has brought, WBA has delivered its first-ever global digital skin care launch for No7. “As you can imagine, we had to approach this really differently, and I am so proud of the teams who have remained determined — under such unique and unprecedented conditions — to bring yet another game changer, initially to our U.K. and U.S. customers. Working together with our retail partners we have focused on improving our website capacity and introduced a number of new virtual services to ensure our customers can still get the care and advice they expect from our amazing No7 Beauty Advisors.”

Murphy, who moved from chief customer officer to chief commercial officer, said the fundamental change was taking over the leadership of brands including beauty ranges like No7 and Soap & Glory and the Walgreens and Boots store brands. “I have a fantastic team based in the U.S., U.K. and Asia, and a fantastic brand portfolio that we believe has tremendous potential for further growth,” she says. “It has been a great privilege to take on this additional responsibility.”

Regarding leadership for, and of, women, Murphy’s passion is clear. “It is such a joy to see so many talented women flourishing in our organization. I am proud that 50% of my leadership team is female and that our overall female representation in my organization is 80%. Creating a really inclusive culture is a passion of mine, and my leadership team and I work hard to create the conditions where everyone can be at their best.”

WBA is blessed with very strong leadership, she adds, “with such an amazing depth of experience in pharmacy, health care and beauty.”