Alicia Boler Davis Transitions from Amazon to Lead Digital Pharmacy Alto, Introducing AI-Powered Platform
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What Alicia Boler Davis Had to 'Unlearn' From Jeff Bezos and Amazon to Lead Digital Pharmacy Alto
Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I'm Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. Those of us who track the moves of prominent women in business were surprised when Alicia Boler Davis left Amazon in 2022 to become CEO of Alto, a digital pharmacy with approximately $1 billion annual revenue. Boler Davis, who spent nearly 25 years at General Motors before joining Amazon in 2019, was the first Black executive to join the e-commerce company's senior leadership team, also known as the S-team. When she was elevated to the S-team in 2020, members included then-CEO Jeff Bezos and current CEO Andy Jassy, who led Amazon Web Services at the time. A high-profile corporate CEO gig seemed like a natural next step for Boler Davis. Building a better pharmacy solution But Boler Davis says the leap to startup Alto, founded in 2015, was a great fit for her skills and aspirations. "Obviously I can lead and scale organizations," she says. "Pharmacy is so antiquated, and there's so much opportunity in this space. I felt that I could have an impact. I could make a difference. That resonated with what I wanted to do at this point in my career." She adds: "I'm a builder at heart." Indeed, hints of Boler Davis's ambition for Alto are starting to emerge. Last month the company launched Alto Technologies, an enterprise platform that provides services to drugmakers, provider networks, hubs -- specialists that work with patients on access to medication -- and payors. The platform aims to use artificial intelligence and automation to expedite the delivery of medicine to consumers. In one example Boler Davis cited, Alto's software cut the "speed to fill" of one time-sensitive, specialty medication in half.
[2]
What Alicia Boler Davis had to 'unlearn' from Jeff Bezos and Amazon to lead digital pharmacy Alto
Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I'm Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. Those of us who track the moves of prominent women in business were surprised when Alicia Boler Davis left Amazon in 2022 to become CEO of Alto, a digital pharmacy with approximately $1 billion annual revenue. Boler Davis, who spent nearly 25 years at General Motors before joining Amazon in 2019, was the first Black executive to join the e-commerce company's senior leadership team, also known as the S-team. When she was elevated to the S-team in 2020, members included then-CEO Jeff Bezos and current CEO Andy Jassy, who led Amazon Web Services at the time. A high-profile corporate CEO gig seemed like a natural next step for Boler Davis. Building a better pharmacy solution But Boler Davis says the leap to startup Alto, founded in 2015, was a great fit for her skills and aspirations. "Obviously I can lead and scale organizations," she says. "Pharmacy is so antiquated, and there's so much opportunity in this space. I felt that I could have an impact. I could make a difference. That resonated with what I wanted to do at this point in my career." She adds: "I'm a builder at heart." Indeed, hints of Boler Davis's ambition for Alto are starting to emerge. Last month the company launched Alto Technologies, an enterprise platform that provides services to drugmakers, provider networks, hubs -- specialists that work with patients on access to medication -- and payors. The platform aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to expedite the delivery of medicine to consumers. In one example Boler Davis cited, Alto's software cut the "speed to fill" of one time-sensitive, specialty medication in half.
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Alicia Boler Davis, former Amazon executive, takes the helm at digital pharmacy Alto, launching an AI-driven enterprise platform to revolutionize medication delivery and pharmacy services.
From Amazon to Alto: Alicia Boler Davis's Surprising Career Move
In a move that caught many industry observers off guard, Alicia Boler Davis, a prominent figure in the business world, left her position at Amazon in 2022 to become the CEO of Alto, a digital pharmacy startup with an annual revenue of approximately $1 billion 12. This transition marked a significant shift for Boler Davis, who had previously spent nearly 25 years at General Motors before joining Amazon in 2019.
Breaking Barriers at Amazon
During her tenure at Amazon, Boler Davis made history as the first Black executive to join the company's senior leadership team, known as the S-team 12. Her elevation to this prestigious group in 2020 placed her alongside influential figures such as then-CEO Jeff Bezos and current CEO Andy Jassy, who was leading Amazon Web Services at the time.
The Appeal of Alto
Despite the prestige of her position at Amazon, Boler Davis saw an opportunity for greater impact at Alto. She explained her decision, stating, "Pharmacy is so antiquated, and there's so much opportunity in this space. I felt that I could have an impact. I could make a difference. That resonated with what I wanted to do at this point in my career" 12. This move aligns with her self-description as a "builder at heart," suggesting a desire to create and innovate in a less established environment.
Introducing Alto Technologies
Under Boler Davis's leadership, Alto has already begun to make waves in the pharmaceutical industry. In a recent development, the company launched Alto Technologies, an enterprise platform designed to revolutionize the delivery of medication to consumers 12. This platform leverages artificial intelligence and automation to streamline services for various stakeholders in the pharmaceutical supply chain, including drugmakers, provider networks, hubs, and payors.
AI-Driven Efficiency in Medication Delivery
The impact of Alto's AI-powered platform is already evident. Boler Davis cited an example where Alto's software significantly improved efficiency, cutting the "speed to fill" of a time-sensitive, specialty medication by half 12. This achievement demonstrates the potential of AI and automation to address longstanding inefficiencies in the pharmaceutical industry.
Adapting Leadership Style
In transitioning from a tech giant like Amazon to a smaller, more agile startup, Boler Davis has had to adapt her leadership approach. While she brings valuable experience in scaling organizations, she's also had to "unlearn" certain aspects of leadership cultivated at Amazon under Jeff Bezos's influence. This adaptation highlights the different demands of leading a startup compared to a well-established corporation.
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