WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE
The onset of the pandemic shut down the vast majority of society , with only those businesses deemed essential still running ; WBA , based predominantly within the remit of healthcare , was one such business .
Nevertheless , while “ COVID was unquestionably one of the most challenging periods in all of our careers ”, Townsend also feels that he has been lucky that WBA had “ the incredible opportunity to serve patients and customers in perhaps the greatest era of collective need ”.
“ We ' ve administered nearly 65 million vaccines , more than 12 million boosters , and more than 30 million tests . In parallel with that , we ' ve witnessed huge growth in our digital sales . We ' ve also developed some truly innovative health and retail solutions as we ' ve navigated through this period .
“ Again , on top of that , not only have we worked all of that space , but we ' ve also focused extensively on our ESG agenda and how to expand our role in the community ,” Townsend says .
This focus on ESG led to the company developing a solid set of values to model and aspire to : Courage , Connectivity , Commitment and Curiosity .
Despite the opportunities presented to WBA , for Townsend himself – used to our teams have had to learn new things and really develop as professionals to find solutions that fit this new environment that we ' re in . Curiosity is incredibly strong , anybody within procurement should have that – the very best procurement people are incredibly curious .”
It ’ s exactly this curiosity and integrity that have led to WBA being an indispensable help and connection to the outside world during what has been a bumpy few years .
“SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO MAKE SOME TOUGH CALLS THAT NOT EVERYBODY WILL AGREE WITH ”
JIM TOWNSEND CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER , WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE
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