The soon-to-be-former Chief Operating Officer of Starbucks will be the new CEO of Walgreens. Brewer will be the only Black woman to serve as a Fortune 500 CEO and the third Black woman to a Fortune 500 company in history, following Ursula Burns who was the CEO of Xerox, and Mary Winston who was the interim CEO at Bed Bath and Beyond.
Brewerâs path to leadership doesnât start there. Before she joined Starbucks in 2017, Brewer was the CEO of Samâs Club, which is under the umbrella of Walmart. However, being a Black woman in a high position comes with its challenges.
In 2018, Brewer spoke on these challenges while at her alma mater, Spelman âWhen youâre a Black woman, you get mistaken a lot. You get mistaken as someone who could actually not have that top job.â
She continued, âSometimes youâre mistaken for kitchen help. Sometimes people assume youâre in the wrong place, and all I can think in the back of my head is, âNo, youâre in the wrong place.ââ
As reported in the Chicago Sun-Times, David Burritt, CEO of U.S Steel Corporation said about Brewer, âRoz has mastered the art of being a servant- leader- she has humility, but at the same time, sheâs in charge.â He continued, âIâm a huge fan. When I grow up, I want to be just like her.â