Boots MD Sebastian James

Sebastian James

Walgreens Boots Alliance has appointed Dixons Carphone group chief executive Sebastian James as senior vice-president and managing director of Boots.

James, who has held the top job at Dixons Carphone since 2014, will take on his new role at Boots in September.

He will report to Alex Gourlay, Walgreens Boots Alliance’s co-chief operating officer.

James’s previous roles have included chief executive of Dixons Retail, chief executive of Synergy Insurance Services and Sliverscreen Holdings.

He began his career in management consulting with The Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company.

He replaces Elizabeth Fagan, who has led Boots since June 2016. Fagan will take on the newly created role of non-executive chairman of Boots from the same date.

James described his new job as “an extraordinary opportunity” at what he described as “one of the UK’s most iconic, venerable and trusted brands”.

Gourlay said James’ “deep retail expertise would drive significant progress and innovation for Boots”.

Walgreens Boots Alliance has more than 13,200 stores in 11 countries and it has one of the largest global pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution networks with more than 390 distribution centres.

It is also one of the world’s largest purchasers of prescription drugs and many other health & wellbeing products.