Walgreen Co. has tapped seasoned finance executive Wade D. Miquelon to lead its financial operations, a move that underscores the retailer’s focus on strengthening its accounting and risk frameworks. Miquelon joined Walgreen as senior vice president and chief financial officer effective June 16, leaving Tyson Foods where he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer from 2006 to 2008.
At Walgreens, Miquelon assumed responsibility for the company’s accounting, tax and treasury functions. His arrival coincided with an internal reshuffle that moved long-time finance chief William Rudolphsen into a newly created senior vice president and chief risk officer role. Rudolphsen, a 31-year company veteran who had been CFO since 2004, was charged with overseeing audit, loss-prevention, compliance and enterprise-risk management, reflecting the company’s emphasis on separating financial stewardship from broader risk oversight.
Miquelon brings a deep consumer goods and international finance background to Walgreens. He spent 17 years at Procter & Gamble in a succession of senior finance posts, including three years as vice president of finance for Western Europe, where he was the top finance officer for the company’s 17-country operation. His P&G tenure also included leadership of finance and accounting for the ASEAN, Australasia and India region, a director role with P&G’s venture capital arm I Ventures, and co-founding the enterprise marketing management software venture Emmperative, Inc., where he served as chief financial officer and senior vice president of business development and human resources.
After his initial stint at Walgreens, Miquelon later served as executive vice president, president international and chief financial officer of the company until August 2014. He went on to become president and chief executive officer of Jo-Ann Stores, the nation’s leading fabric and craft retailer, and has served on the board of Acadia Pharmaceuticals since January 2012.
Walgreens’ leadership changes were framed as part of an industry trend toward institutionalizing chief risk officer roles in large, highly regulated companies. By separating finance and audit responsibilities from enterprise risk functions, the retailer signaled a strategic shift toward more focused risk identification and mitigation while positioning Miquelon to steer its core financial operations.