Asteres names retail pharmacy vet CEO

SAN DIEGO Asteres, a provider of automated prescription pickup kiosks and maker of ScriptCenter, on Tuesday named retail pharmacy veteran Mark de Bruin as CEO to lead its rapid expansion into the retail, healthcare and military markets.

“Leading three of the largest U.S. retail pharmacies, [de Bruin’s] strategic leadership and national operations expertise are key,” stated Ron Taylor, Asteres chairman. “Asteres is growing, ScriptCenter markets are expanding and [de Bruin] brings the right experience at the right time.”

De Bruin joins Asteres from Sears Holdings, where he was SVP and president of pharmacy. Before his time at Sears, de Bruin served as EVP pharmacy for Rite Aid and VP pharmacy for Albertsons. De Bruin also held several senior positions at American Stores Co., including GM, and served as VP RxAmerica, a pharmacy benefits management company.

De Bruin also has served as chairman of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores - Policy Council, chairman of the NACDS Pharmacy & Technology Annual Meeting and as a member of the Federal Medicaid Commission, appointed by then-Health and Human Services Secretary, Michael Leavitt.

“I am excited to join Asteres, the leader in automated pharmacy pick-up,” de Bruin said. “With solid technology, Asteres allows pharmacy patients the opportunity to pick-up their prescriptions quickly, while providing the pharmacist additional time to provide clinical consultation to patients.”