John O. Agwunobi
John O. Agwunobi | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Jos, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University |
Occupation | CEO and executive chairman of Herbalife Nutrition |
Years active | 2000–present |
Known for | Former senior vice-president of Walmart |
Title | Former Vice-chair of the United States African Development Foundation |
Relatives | Andrew Agwunobi (brother) |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/ | U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps |
Years of service | 2006–2007 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands held | Assistant Secretary for Health United States Public Health Service |
Awards | Public Health Service Regular Corps Ribbon |
John O. Agwunobi is a Scottish-born Nigerian-American former US government official, a formally trained pediatrician and chief executive officer and executive chairman of Herbalife Nutrition.[1] He was formerly senior vice-president of Walmart and president of the retailer's health and wellness business from 2007 to 2014.[2]
Agwunobi served as assistant secretary for health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and was Florida's secretary of health and state health officer from 2000 to 2005.[3]
Early life and education[]
Agwunobi was born in Dundee, Scotland to a Nigerian father of Igbo descent, who was a British-trained physician, and Scottish mother. As a teen, Agwunobi's family moved to Nigeria, where he attended high school and university. He received his medical training at the University of Jos, where his father was a professor of medicine. His brother, Andrew Agwunobi, is CEO of UConn Health and interim president of the University of Connecticut.
Agwunobi has a master degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University, a master of business administration from Georgetown University, and a certification as a managed care executive from the American Association of Health Plans (AAHP). He completed his pediatric residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC, rotating between Children's National Medical Center and the District of Columbia General Hospital.[1]
Public office[]
Prior to his service in the federal government, Agwunobi served as Florida's secretary of health under Governor Jeb Bush from 2000 to 2005. He led Florida's public health response to four major hurricanes that struck the state in 2004.[4] In addition, Agwunobi led the Department's response to the nation's first anthrax attack, subsequently guiding the state's nationally recognized efforts to prepare for, prevent and mitigate the effects of a bioterrorism attack.[1]
Agwunobi served as the 12th assistant secretary for health (ASH) from January 4, 2006 to September 4, 2007. The Senate confirmed him for the position on December 17, 2005.[1] During his term as the ASH, he oversaw the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the office of the U.S. Surgeon General and was a member of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a uniformed service, and held the rank of four-star admiral. He also served as the U.S. representative on the World Health Organization executive board.[5][4]
Agwunobi has served as vice-chair of the United States African Development Foundation.[5] He has served as a board adviser to Shopko, a specialty retail store holding corporation and board director for Magellan Health Services.[4]
Corporate career[]
Walmart[]
In September 2007, Agwunobi was announced as Walmart's top medical professional working to expand the retailer's growth into the healthcare and wellness business.[6][7] He led a team of more than 65,000 employees at the company's pharmacies, vision centers and healthcare clinics.[8][9] Agwunobi later became the senior vice-president of Walmart, where he "drove down prescription medication costs and provided ongoing savings through our pharmacy offerings" before leaving in 2014.[8][3]
Herbalife Nutrition[]
In 2016, Agwunobi joined Herbalife Nutrition, a multi-level marketing company based in California, as its chief health and nutrition officer. He became co-president in 2018 and was announced as its next chief executive officer and executive chairman in March 2020. After assuming the role, Agwunobi stated that he would focus the company's investments on weight management and sports performance.[10][11]
References[]
- ^ a b c d "Admiral John O. Agwunobi". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ "Dr. John Agwunobi to join Wal-Mart as Senior Vice President and President for the Professional Services Division". news.walmart.com. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- ^ a b Banjo, Shelly (April 14, 2014). "Executive Who Led Wal-Mart Expansion Into Health Care Steps Down". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c Ojigbo, Solomon (March 26, 2019). "John Oderah Agwunobi – The Consummate Admiral of Public Health". Pharmanews.
- ^ a b "AGWUNOBI, John". Biographical Legacy and Research Foundation. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ Waters, Jennifer (August 7, 2007). "Wal-Mart hires public-health expert". MarketWatch. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ "Dr. John Agwunobi resigns from health post at Wal-Mart, and other news". Modern Healthcare. April 19, 2014.
- ^ a b Dr. John Agwunobi resigns from health post at Wal-Mart
- ^ Industry Veteran John Agwunobi Assumes New Role as Herbalife Nutrition CEO
- ^ Fine, Howard (November 15, 2019). "Herbalife Names Agwunobi as CEO". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ Stankiewicz, Kevin (August 24, 2020). "Herbalife CEO says sales are growing as people realize that 'health is wealth'". CNBC. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
External links[]
- Living people
- University of Jos alumni
- Nigerian emigrants to the United States
- State cabinet secretaries of Florida
- McDonough School of Business alumni
- Howard University alumni
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health alumni
- United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps admirals
- Walmart people
- People from Dundee
- George W. Bush administration personnel
- American public health doctors
- Florida Republicans
- Nigerian people of Scottish descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- Nigerian pediatricians
- American chief executives
- People associated with direct selling