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Longstanding Boots executive Ornella Barra has announced her retirement from operational duties on February 9 as she assumes the position of chair. 

A management reshuffle announced yesterday (January 26) will see Ms Barra replace husband Stefano Pessina as chair of the Boots Group, the entity created last summer when new Walgreens Boots Alliance owners Sycamore Partners carved up WBA into standalone companies. 

While her role of Boots Group chief executive will not be replaced, Anthony Hemmerdinger, managing director at Boots UK & Ireland and Boots Opticians, will assume a “wider range of responsibilities” including overseeing the No7 Beauty Company and “the assumption of all group-level functions,” said the company. 

Ms Barra has been a key decision maker at Boots since it merged with Alliance Unichem in 2006, taking up the position of WBA co-chief operating officer after Walgreens acquired Alliance Boots in 2014. 

A person familiar with the events leading up to Ms Barra’s retirement announcement told The Financial Times the reshuffle may help to facilitate a return to the London stock exchange after previous attempts to sell the UK multiple ran into difficulty.  

Sycamore Partners managing director Stefan Kaluzny said Ms Barra had been “instrumental in establishing the Boots Group as a strong, independent company”. 

Ms Barra commented: “For some time now, I have been considering transitioning to a less operational role.

“I concluded that this is the perfect moment and the right choice for me to best serve the company moving forward.”

She said the newly established Boots Group is “in great shape, both financially and operationally,” citing consistent market share gains for Boots UK over 19 consecutive quarters. 

Mr Pessina, who will stay on as director, said: “Ornella has been a defining leader for this business, and I thank her for her dedication and impact over many years. 

“Our family remains fully committed to the Boots Group, and we have great confidence in Anthony and the management team as the company continues to move forward.”