VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — Steven Collis has officially taken the reins as chief executive officer at AmerisourceBergen Corp.
The pharmaceutical distributor said that as part of its succession plan announced in March, the 50-year-old Collins started in his new post on Friday, taking over from R. David Yost, 63, who retired as CEO and stepped down from the company’s board.
Collis previously was president and chief operating officer, having been promoted to that position in November. He retains the title of president. In May, Collis was elected to the AmerisourceBergen board, which currently has nine members.
"I congratulate Steve on his well-deserved promotion to president and chief executive officer of AmerisourceBergen," chairman Richard Gozon said in a statement. "Steve’s demonstrated leadership, his deep knowledge of the industry and his commitment to excellence have given the board every confidence that the company will continue to deliver the outstanding performance that AmerisourceBergen stakeholders have come to expect."
Yost had been with AmerisourceBergen, which also runs the Good Neighbor Pharmacy drug store franchise, for over three decades and served as its chief executive for over one decade.
"On behalf of our entire company, I thank Dave for his 37 years of extraordinary service to AmerisourceBergen and for his gracious support during the leadership transition," Collis stated. "I am both humbled and honored to be the leader of such a high-performing company. I believe with our momentum, our position in growing markets, our talented and seasoned management team, and our dedication to efficiency and innovative customer service, we will continue to drive success by growing our business and providing value to our customers, suppliers, shareholders and our associates."
In April, AmerisourceBergen named company veteran David Neu as president of its biggest operating unit, AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp. (ABDC). That post had been open when the distributor promoted Collis to president and COO last fall.
