Overview

Gender

female

Ornella Barra is Executive Vice President of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. and President and Chief Executive of Global Wholesale and International Retail.

Prior to this, Ornella was Chief Executive Wholesale and Brands of Alliance Boots. Ornella had previously been Chief Executive of the Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division (from January 2009 to September 2013) and before that, Wholesale and Commercial Affairs Director. In her role, Ornella oversaw the Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division as well as the overall development of International Health and Beauty and Brands.

In April 2013, Ornella was appointed as an independent Member of the Board of Directors at Assicurazioni Generali, an insurance company and since January 2015, she has also served as a Member of the Board of Directors of AmerisourceBergen Corporation, a pharmaceutical services company.

Ornella was born in Chiavari (Genoa). After graduating in Pharmacy at the University of Genoa, she started her career in the pharmaceutical sector working as a pharmacist.

In 1984 Ornella founded Di Pharma, a pharmaceutical distribution company, later acquired by Alleanza Salute Italia of which she became the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Managing Director.

In the late 80s, Ornella was appointed Managing Director and later Chairman of Alleanza Salute Italia, which later became Italy’s leading pharmaceutical wholesaler. Ornella joined the board of Alliance Santé, an international pharmaceutical company and relentlessly remained at the forefront of every deal, helping to establish this company following a series of acquisitions.

At the end of the 90s, Ornella was appointed as board member and Executive Director of Alliance UniChem Plc. In 2006, Alliance UniChem Plc. and the Boots Group PLC merged, forming Alliance Boots and the following year Ornella became Chief Executive, Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division and later Chief Executive, Wholesale and Brands.

Ornella has played a leading role in the development and implementation of the partnership between Alliance Boots and Walgreen Co. (Walgreens), which merged to form Walgreens Boots Alliance on 31 December 2014.

In 2013, Alliance Boots and Walgreens signed an innovative long-term partnership with AmerisourceBergen, one of North America’s largest pharmaceutical services companies. This relationship will enable the companies to benefit from greater scale and global opportunities and work together on programmes to improve service levels and efficiencies.

In January 2015, Ornella was appointed to the Board of Directors of AmerisourceBergen.