Driving Healthcare with Purpose and Empathy with Linh Peters, CMO at Walgreens
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In this episode, Linh discusses how her personal story as a refugee and immigrant shapes who she is as a leader, how Walgreens works to create better health outcomes for every community, and how technology has shifted power to the consumer.
“I learned very early on in life about empathy, about community, about giving, about being vulnerable, about building trust and relationships. And so I've always really kind of centered that in terms of who I am as a person. And that just has manifested in not only how I interact with my peers, my coworkers but also how I lead teams.”
— Linh Peters
Healthcare is personal, so it requires special marketing strategies. As an immigrant and refugee, Linh Peters, Chief Marketing Officer at Walgreens, uses her own story to lead with authenticity and empathy. From bringing localized healthcare to underserved communities to leveraging a powerful loyalty program, Linh taps into the connection between data, technology, and the customer experience to create meaningful experiences. As the CMO at Walgreens, she is responsible for the vision, strategic direction, and performance of all Walgreens' marketing activities. Before Walgreens, she successfully redefined Marketing for world-class brands such as Starbucks, Ulta Beauty, Target, and Calvin Klein.
A Personal Mission - As a refugee and an immigrant, Linh was surrounded by a supportive community of people who helped her family with housing, school, and navigating public health and public services. Thanks to her personal story, Linh resonated with Walgreens' mission to be the leading provider of localized healthcare and wellbeing. When the opportunity came up at Walgreens, Linh accepted the CMO job in order to help support, and guide people in underserved communities in the important healthcare space.
Walgreens Health Corners - Walgreens maintains a presence in every community—and that’s one of its key brand differentiators. The company has nearly 9000 stores, and its pharmacists and store team members live and work in those communities. The company also opened Walgreens Health Corners to ease access to healthcare for people. When you walk into a store with a Health Corner, you will find dedicated health advisors available to talk to customers.
Humble Beginnings - Linh was born in Vietnam, where she lived with her family until they immigrated to the US in the 80’s. They left the country on an illegal cargo ship that made its way to Hong Kong Harbor, where they sat for about five months, living on the boat until they were allowed on land. From there a Lutheran church from Minnesota helped them to get to the US. This experience shaped who Linh is as a person and business leader. Learn more about Linh's impactful story in this article.
Linh's Advice on Leadership - For Linh, being a good leader is about empathy, community, and building relationships rooted in trust. She also believes in maximizing your voice, strategically getting into the weeds, and always assuming positive intent.
Listen to Linh on the Speed of Culture podcast today and learn how to drive healthcare with purpose and empathy
