April 17--In his final year as CEO of Walgreen, Greg Wasson reaped total compensation of $16.73 million, $3.08 million more than in 2013.
Most of the 23 percent increase came in the form of stock and options awards, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday. Wasson's base salary rose $48,000 to $1.4 million.
U.S. drugstore chain Walgreen acquired European counterpart Alliance Boots on Dec. 31, forming Walgreens Boots Alliance. Stefano Pessina, previously executive chairman of Alliance Boots, replaced Wasson at the beginning of the year and will serve in that capacity until the newly merged company can find a new CEO. It's an endeavor Pessina said has proved more difficult than he had hoped. His comments came at a recent meeting with analysts in New York.
Other executives who departed after the merger also saw compensation increases in 2014.
Former Executive Vice President of Pharmacy, Health and Wellness Kermit Crawford's compensation was up about $983,500 in 2014 to $5.19 million. The company's previous Chief Legal and Administration Officer Thomas Sabatino saw his earnings jump $1.17 million to $4.55 million. And former Chief Financial Officer Wade Miquelon, who's suing the company for defamation, saw his compensation rise about $703,500 to $5.02 million in 2014.
Pessina elected not to receive a salary when he took the role as acting CEO. He controls about 214 million shares in the combined company, worth almost $19 billion.
ehirst@tribpub.com
