Stefano Pessina (born in 1941) is a Monegasque-Italian billionaire businessman and the Executive Vice Chairman, CEO, and largest shareholder of Walgreens Boots Alliance.
Pessina was born in Pescara and raised between Milan, Como, and Naples. He graduated in nuclear engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan.
In 1977, he took over his family’s pharmaceutical wholesale business in Naples and transformed it into Alliance Santé, a Franco-Italian pharmaceutical wholesale group. In 1997, it merged with Alliance UniChem, and Pessina joined its Board of Directors. From 2001 to 2004, he served as its CEO and later held the position of Executive Vice Chairman and then Executive Chairman.
Stefano served as Executive Chairman of Alliance Boots from 2007 to 2014 and was a member of the Walgreens Board of Directors until August 2014. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Walgreens Boots Alliance and is also a member of the Board of Directors at the Consumer Goods Forum.
He is separated from his wife Barbara, with whom he has two children. He has been the partner of Ornella Barra for over 30 years. As of February 2015, his net worth was estimated at US$11.4 billion, holding a 15% stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance.
He has lived in Monte Carlo, Monaco, for many years. His son, a banker, works at Walgreens Boots Alliance.
Date of birth: June 4, 1941, Pescara, Italy
Nationality: Monegasque
Alma mater: Polytechnic University of Milan
Occupation: Businessman
Years active: 1966–present
Net worth: US$14 billion