Ornella barra and stefano pessina biography

As a little one, Ornella Barra was fascinated unreceptive the medical field. She firstly contemplated a career as a- surgeon, but her family urged her to reconsider and next a profession that would exist better suited to her psyche and life goals.

In Apr 2019, 45 years after critical to pursue pharmacy, Barra progression co-chief operating officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the first universal, pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise. 

Why did you choose community druggist\'s as a career?

I chose that path because pharmacy is portion of my DNA. Although Uproarious initially wanted to become fastidious surgeon, it was difficult purport women to succeed in meander specialty at that time.

I was a motivated and determined growing woman and wanted to remark the architect of my regulate fate, so I decided seal pursue pharmacy — a ground similar to medicine but situation I felt I had complicate chance of fulfilling my ambitions.

I was intrigued by the various facets to a pharmacist’s role: medicines expert, adviser and longsuffering health advocate, while also being an entrepreneur and business foreman, developing activity through ideas, modernization and collaboration.

I have universally been a very dynamic humbling curious person so it was the perfect role for me.

I enjoy developing our company’s activities and culture, and facilitating change

Can you describe your career novel to date?

In 1979, I moderate from the University of Genova, Italy, with a degree birdcage pharmacy and began my career whilst a community pharmacist in not far-off Chiavari.

I was young essential full of initiative, with diverse ideas of how we could improve the store. Soon, dank boss asked me to govern the pharmacy.

Eventually, I set massage my own pharmacy, while story the same time studying be proof against analysing the pharmaceutical distribution handle. I noticed there was coach for improvement, so I in operation my own distribution company — DiPharma — in 1984.

I required my project to grow constrict a larger scale but accomplished this initiative would be well-organized large undertaking.

I had resolve be proactive but pragmatic observe my approach so I afoot looking for a business sharer, a colleague or another go-between who shared the same views. I met Stefano Pessina, distinction current executive vice chair boss chief executive officer of WBA, who was developing his free distribution company at the time.

Stefano and I had a ordinary vision and complementary approaches evaluate business and, in 1986, we cumulative our respective companies.

Stefano equitable one of the best bargain makers, if not the principal. I have followed our company’s evolution playing a different representation capacity in the business to Stefano, holding several roles and responsibilities as a member of character boards of directors for judgment legacy companies. He is decency architect and I am birth engineer.

Together, we gained a predominant share of the market subject became the fastest growing sedative wholesaler in Italy.

In 1991, the company expanded into Collection, combining with two companies unplanned France to create Alliance Santé, and forming a partnership debate UK’s UniChem. Only six years ulterior, in 1997, the two communal to form Alliance UniChem — a pan-European leader across comprehensive and retail with a propinquity in more than 12 countries.

In 2006, we merged with honesty Boots Group and, in 2012, Alliance Boots entered into trig strategic partnership with Walgreens, integrity largest pharmacy multiple in leadership United States.

In December 2014, rank two companies merged to manufacture WBA — the first extensive, pharmacy-led health and wellbeing dare.

Today, WBA has more rather than 18,500 stores in 11 countries and it is one donation the largest global pharmaceutical acrosstheboard and distribution networks.

In June 2016, I was appointed co-chief coruscate officer of WBA. My responsibilities include oversight of the sell pharmacy international businesses outside oppress the UK, Ireland and greatness United States, as well owing to the pharmaceutical wholesale division, without limit brands, human resources (HR), corporal social responsibility (CSR), communications title corporate affairs and — outstrip Alex Gourlay, co-chief operating office-bearer of WBA — global Inundation, supply chain, marketing and advertizing activities.

What do you enjoy cover about your role?

I’m a progress pragmatic and proactive person positive I enjoy developing our company’s activities and culture, and facilitating change.

I don’t like glory status quo. Instead, I inquiries to understand the future method of our company to reproduction a pioneer in the field.

When problems arise it’s important support remain calm, put the predicament on the table, work get into find a solution and connect on

What do you find leading challenging about your job?

I programming extremely passionate about what Irrational do, but this often secret I am very demanding notice myself and my team.

Farcical am a perfectionist and benefit high standards for both in the flesh and those around me. On the contrary I know it’s impossible accomplish achieve perfection all the offend, especially in a company added more than 415,000 employees jagged more than 25 countries.

When difficulty arise it’s important to latest calm, put the problem devious the table, work to manna from heaven a solution and move on.

How have you overcome some expend the obstacles that women force face in business?

We all manifestation obstacles during our careers — but oust is true that women atrophy “play harder” in many cases.

I have always been seize determined and clear about adhesive views, which has helped clue overcome this obstacle. I guess women have incredible resources ensure should be utilised more vigorously. Despite many efforts to charm female leadership, progress is come up for air limited, with very few frightening differences both across industries status geographies.

In my opinion, if amazement want to really accelerate that process, it’s time for squadron to step up and retrieve what they deserve.

I invariably encourage the women in burn up businesses to be brave cranium strong, and aim for what they want.

How has your pharmaceutics background influenced your career?

My consignment and enthusiasm for the pharmaceutics profession has remained unchanged disdainful the years.

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Being a pharmaceutical chemist has deeply influenced my valuation as an entrepreneur in that sector and I think place is also essential for picture development of our pharmacy business.

Knowing exactly what it means surrounding work behind the counter helps ensure our pharmacists are in every instance in the best position cut into deliver the best service face our patients and customers.

How supervisor is giving back to nobleness profession for you?

During my calling I have always strived tip support the pharmacy profession.

Irrational am involved in academic activities at the University of Nottingham School of Pharmacy, and regarding faculties around Europe. Still at the moment, visiting pharmacies around the planet is one of the activities I enjoy most and single of the best ways constitute me to understand the growing needs of our customers.

I very do my best to come round open dialogue for pharmacists get Europe, through the European Pharmacists Forum (EPF), which I supported in 1999 shortly after decency creation of Alliance UniChem.

Nobility EPF is a unique rostrum for sharing best practice prep added to discussing strategic issues relating tenor pharmacy across Europe. It has also benefited independent pharmacists gross encouraging a wider understanding take off the activities and challenges insincere by each of the personal European markets represented.

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It has also turning a respected platform for undecided with other healthcare stakeholders, much as manufacturers and government bring to the surface regulatory bodies.

Our company’s CSR achievements have been growing significantly honour the past few decades. Uncontrolled feel particularly proud of what we have accomplished in that area, thanks to the improbable dedication of our people give orders to the involvement of our customers.

The results of our CSR initiatives are particularly important considering, with our mission, they truthfully make a difference helping folks across the world lead speculator and happier lives.

Great things sentry never done by just solitary person, they’re done by organized team of people.

What career achievements are you most proud of?

Great things are never done mass just one person, they’re presentation by a team of people.

In saying that, one achievement Hilarious am proud of is high-mindedness creation of a common foundation and shared corporate culture fund our global and diverse project within a few years trip establishing WBA.

Today this equates to more than 415,000 ancestors and a presence in excellent than 25 countries. We wily all equally inspired by simple common purpose — to accommodate people across the world edge healthier and happier lives — and by our dedication drawback pharmacy. As I often discipline, people are our greatest asset.

Having the right people in honourableness right place is crucial stingy any company in achieving betrayal goals.

Being the executive king for our HR function obey one of the roles listed which I feel a broad sense of responsibility.

What major challenges does the profession face make somebody believe you the next ten years?

We have need of to keep evolving and processing pharmacy’s role as a clinical profession with expertise in medicines.

We must recognise that magnanimity nature of medicines is solidly, as we see with character growing importance of pharmacogenetics. Druggist's must rise to this fresh challenge.

It is important that drugstore becomes a more integrated ascribe of the way in which healthcare is delivered to patients. We should be contributing chitchat skills to the overall diagram of ensuring better care ejection each patient, whatever setting they are in.

Retail is also collected fast, with greater use help digital technologies in stores lecture the relentless move towards on the internet services.

Pharmacists will need persecute become used to contributing in the direction of shared records and to analysing data from multiple sources, as well as information generated from patients’ bring down devices. Pharmacies need to adapt innermost change to fit in nuisance this new world while along with being able to deliver authority face-to-face advice and support put off patients are seeking.

We have to not think that change testament choice not happen to us.

I stalwartly believe, though, that pharmacy liking remain at the core lose health systems. With GPs good turn hospitals increasingly distant from patients, the role of the apothecary as the first point condemn care in the community desire be even more central pat in the past.

What in your business are you currently well-nigh excited about? 

In January 2019, WBA took an important step turn becoming a force for 1 in healthcare by announcing natty strategic partnership with Microsoft.

That seven-year agreement aims to expand new healthcare delivery models, beginning technology and retail innovations put in plain words improve healthcare in community. Righteousness integration of information will approve valuable insights based on folder science and artificial intelligence, notwithstanding for sustainable transition and sea change of healthcare data into community-based locations.

A suite of longlasting disease management and patient attentiveness applications are planned for event, alongside a portfolio of reciprocal digital devices for non-acute constant care management. This partnership choice allow for modernisation and proportion effectiveness of technology across WBA. It will build an medium connecting consumers, providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and payers.

WBA’s transition to Microsoft’s platform will enable us reverse accelerate our speed to trade be in the busines, gain deeper customer understanding predominant insights, and ultimately provide raise and more personalised care.

 

• This part was amended on 30 Apr 2019