LANGLEY, British Columbia — Carmen Churcott has been appointed as chief executive officer at Pharmasave Drugs Ltd., one of Canada’s largest drug chains.
Pharmasave, which announced the appointment late Monday, said Churcott took the reins as CEO of the 485-store drug chain effective May 1.
Churcott fills the vacancy created when Sue Paish stepped down as Pharmasave CEO last May to become chief executive of LifeLabs Inc., a provider of laboratory testing services. Paish had served as CEO since 2007.
During the search for a full-time chief executive, Pharmasave chief financial officer Zvonko Maretic served as interim CEO.
"Pharmasave is an impressive combination of a strong national Pharmasave brand and the independent spirit of community-focused entrepreneurs," Churcott said in a statement. "I am looking forward to harnessing the creativity across the country by building on the great work already done and delivering even greater member value and growing Pharmasave."
Churcott joins Pharmasave from Overwaitea Food Group (OFG), which is part of Canada’s third-largest private company, the Jim Pattison Group. In more than 15 years at OFG, she served in a variety of roles, including vice president of merchandising, marketing, media relations and customer loyalty, as well as vice president of e-commerce, technology and communications. She was named as one of Canadian Grocer’s "Star Women of Grocery" in 2012.
"We are impressed by Carmen’s enthusiasm and her demonstrated willingness to take on tough leadership challenges," stated Gary Utter, national board chairman at Pharmasave. "Carmen’s strong communication skills and collaborative approach, along with her comprehensive retail experience, is the combination needed to lead Pharmasave to continued success."
Pharmasave, a member-owned and -operated cooperative with pharmacies in nine provinces, is one of North America’s biggest drug chains, ranking No. 8 by store count and No. 13 by revenue, with estimated sales of $1.3 billion (Canadian), according to Chain Drug Review‘s 2013 State of the Industry Report.
