and is the Chairman of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers industry association .
Pessina and Pessina make a formidable team – and they need to be , for in the US , where Walgreens makes the bulk of its $ 139bn in sales , it is facing stiff competition from the likes of Amazon .
On top of this , it is also facing payments of $ 4.95bn over 15 years , to settle claims relating to America ’ s opioid crisis .
These difficulties have hit its share price and reduced the market value of Walgreens to $ 10.2 billion .
Over the past year , the value of Pessina ’ s 16.8 per cent stake in Walgreens has declined by $ 2.8 billion . But Barra says that , despite this , Pessina remains “ very confident ” in the company .
“ Stefano has an entrepreneur ’ s spirit ,” she says . “ As an entrepreneur you know the company has good moments and bad moments .
“ Walgreens is solid , has a strong team , 123 years of history , thousands of stores and an iconic brand . Stefano remains committed to finding the solution .”
In terms of her personal vision of what it takes to succeed in business , Barra has said that , for her , a good day “ is a day during which I have learned something ”.
She adds : “ At any age , you should never stop wanting to learn , and engaging with energy and passion .”
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