CVS loses another top marketer amid major cost-cutting push

The longtime marketing chief of CVS Health’s benefits management unit, CVS Caremark, will depart at the end of this month. In a LinkedIn post, Tammy Lewis said she was stepping away from the role she has held for nine years to focus on a family matter. A representative for CVS Caremark did not immediately respond to Marketing Dive’s request for comment.

“I have such a deep love for CVS Health and for my team and the colleagues that I have been so fortunate and privileged to work alongside with,” Lewis wrote. “I have been a lifelong CVS brand loyalist and plan to proudly continue to maintain a high spot on the front store sales leaderboard.”

Prior to joining CVS in 2014, Lewis held a number of top marketing spots at companies including My-Villages, QR Media Group and Prematics.

This marks the second seasoned marketing executive to depart the pharmacy giant in recent months. In July, CVS Health CMO Norm de Greve left for General Motors. The executive had been at CVS Health since 2015 and was credited with accelerating its digital transformation and helping turn the business into the largest consumer healthcare firm in the U.S. 

De Greve and Lewis both held their positions at CVS for a length of time above industry norms. The average tenure for Fortune 500 CMOs was 4.2 years in 2022, according to research from consultant Spencer Stuart. That figure dropped to a 3.3 year average for marketing brass at the top 100 advertisers. 

CVS is enacting a major cost-cutting initiative that will see it prune about 5,000 jobs, mostly on the corporate end, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week. The trimming comes as the company wants to direct more focus toward its healthcare services. CVS reports its second-quarter earnings Wednesday.