Donigan Named CEO of Rite Aid Corp.

CAMP HILL, PA—Rite Aid Corp. reports today that it has named healthcare industry veteran Heyward Donigan as its new chief executive officer.

Donigan, who most recently served as the president and CEO of Sapphire Digital (formerly Vitals) of Lyndhurst, NJ, replaces John Standley, who served as CEO for the national drugstore chain for nearly nine years, effectively immediately.

Back in March, Rite Aid announced a managerial shakeup that included the eventual resignation of Standley as CEO of the pharmaceutical retailer. The initiative will result in the elimination of approximately 400 full-time positions, or more than 20% of the corporate positions located at the company’s headquarters and across the field organization.

“Today’s announcement is an important step in positioning Rite Aid for the future, and we are confident that Heyward is the right person to lead the company in capitalizing on the opportunities in the evolving healthcare environment,” says Bruce Bodaken, chairman of Rite Aid’s Board of Directors.

Bodaken also praised Standley for his work at Rite Aid. “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank John for his numerous achievements in helping to reshape Rite Aid in the face of an evolving environment during his tenure. In particular, I want to thank him for his leadership in guiding the company through some incredibly challenging times. His commitment to facilitating a smooth transition for Rite Aid is greatly appreciated, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Donigan has 30 years of experience in all aspects of the healthcare industry. Since 2015, she led Sapphire Digital’s strategy and operations to record growth and consumer engagement. Prior to Sapphire Digital, Donigan was president and CEO of ValueOptions, then the nation’s largest independent behavioral health improvement company, where she drove innovation through disciplined execution and grew company revenues to over $1 billion.

Previously, Donigan served as EVP and chief marketing officer at Premera Blue Cross, where she was responsible for driving profitable growth across the individual, small group, mid-market and national account businesses, and helped the company achieve record growth and profits. Earlier in her career, she served as senior vice president of all operations at Cigna Healthcare. She also held executive roles at General Electric, Empire BCBS and U.S. Healthcare, and previously served on the Board of Directors at several public companies, including Kindred Healthcare.

“I am deeply honored to have been selected to lead a company with such a strong brand, deep culture and dedicated team of associates. I see tremendous opportunity to revitalize the company’s position as a leader in meeting the health and wellness needs of customers and patients through our store and pharmacy benefit management platforms,” says Donigan. “I look forward to working with the talented Rite Aid team, as we continue to support the needs of our customers and patients and drive growth, improved performance and shareholder value.”

Rite Aid Corp., which generated fiscal 2019 annual revenue of $21.6 billion, has 2,466 stores in 18 states and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) capabilities through EnvisionRxOptions and its affiliates.

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