Early Life
Stefano Pessina was born on June 4, 1941, in Pescara, Italy. He spent his childhood in multiple Italian cities, including Milan, Como, and Naples. He studied nuclear engineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan, where he earned a degree. Initially, Pessina considered a career in nuclear physics, but the political climate of the 1970s led him to pursue business instead.
Rise to Success
Pessina's career began in the market research field. However, his significant impact came in 1977 when he took over his family's pharmaceutical wholesale business in Naples. He transformed this modest operation into a global enterprise. His strategic approach included merging with other regional distributors, forming larger networks that could operate internationally. He founded Alleanza Farmaceutica, which later became Alleanza Salute and then Alliance Santé. In 1997, it merged with UniChem to form Alliance UniChem. From 2001 to 2004, Pessina served as its CEO, and later as Chairman. In 2006, Alliance UniChem merged with Boots Group PLC, and he became chairman of Alliance Boots from 2007 to 2014.
Key Business Strategies
Pessina is known for his strategic mergers and acquisitions. The 2014 merger of Walgreens and Alliance Boots, which formed Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), was a pivotal move. He has been a proponent of streamlining operations and driving large-scale global integrations. He is also known for his long-term vision and his ability to identify opportunities in the healthcare and retail sectors. Pessina is the largest shareholder of Walgreens Boots Alliance, which has operations in the U.S., the U.K., and other countries.
Philanthropy
Specific details of Pessina's philanthropy are not readily available in the search results. However, his company, Walgreens Boots Alliance, has a robust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. Walgreens Boots Alliance focuses on four key pillars: Healthy Communities, Healthy and Inclusive Workplace, Sustainable Marketplace, and Healthy Planet.