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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Labeed Diab, president of health and wellness for Walmart U.S., has left the retailer to become chief operating officer at Brookdale Senior Living Co., an operator of assisted and independent living centers for elderly clients.
At Walmart, Diab had responsibility for the retailer’s full-service health and wellness offerings, including vision centers and primary care clinics, at more than 5,000 stores. Diab earlier worked as president of Walmart’s Midwest division, a job that involved management of retail stores and oversight of some 100,000 store employees, Brookdale said.
As COO at Brookdale, Diab will have responsibility for community and field operations as well as marketing and sales, the company noted, and he will report to Andy Smith, Brookdale’s chief executive officer.
“Labeed’s mix of retail and health and wellness operational leadership experience is uniquely suited for Brookdale, and we will rely on his expertise to create stockholder value through improvements to our operational effectiveness,” Smith commented.
Before joining Walmart, Diab served as a regional vice president in the health care division of Aramark Co., a contract food services provider. He also worked for Rite Aid Corp. as a pharmacy manager, and at CVS Health in regional roles. He earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and is a registered pharmacist. He also completed a management program from Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, Brookdale said.
Brookdale operates in 47 states. It has 1,135 facilities with 330,000 studio, one bedroom and two bedroom units. It provides residents with meals, housekeeping, 24-hour emergency response, transportation and recreational activities. Brookdale also offers outpatient therapy, home health, personalized living and hospice services. Brookdale’s retirement centers include nursing units capable of serving Alzheimer’s patients and others who require ongoing care. The company last year acquired elder care provider Emeritus Senior Living Corp.
Brookdale also announced it had hired Lucinda (Cindy) Baier as chief financial officer. She is scheduled to start December 1.
The management changes come as Brookdale integrates Emeritus, which it acquired with the aim of becoming the first national brand in senior living.
“We’ve done a host of things, but in returning to normalcy, a lot of it frankly is simply getting the pain in the neck part of the integration largely behind us,” Smith remarked in a quarterly earnings call with analysts early this month.
