Norman de Greve ’86 is Leading Change That Matters

Norman de Greve ’86 is helping to make the world a healthier place.  As chief marketing officer at CVS Health, the fifth largest company in the US, he has played a key role in walking the company through many strategic decisions that position CVS as a leading healthcare company. “We have the scale to help so many people and communities take a step forward on their path to better health,” said Norman.

He joined CVS in 2014 just after the company decided to stop selling tobacco products. “This was a huge decision,” Norman said. “CVS walked away from $2 billion in revenue. It was a strategic move that paid off by demonstrating the company’s commitment to the health of its customers and employees.”

With Norman’s guidance, CVS has continued to demonstrate its commitment to health. When research showed that sunscreen with SPF less than 15 was not effective in skin cancer prevention, CVS removed those products from store shelves. Subsequently, the store eliminated all foods containing artificial trans fats and store-brand beauty products containing parabens, phthalates, and other chemicals of concern.  Most recently, CVS launched its Tested to Be Trusted campaign in which it became the only national retailer to use third-party testing to ensure the vitamins and supplements contain what they claim. “It is about standing up for what the consumer wants and what is right,” said Norman.

The company’s largest consumer initiative since removing tobacco products, however, is the launch of the Beauty Mark campaign. This is the company’s commitment to not to digitally alter any of the imagery in its cosmetic marketing, and to require all cosmetic brands in CVS stores to mark images identifying them as unaltered or altered. “Research shows that a majority of women feel worse about themselves after seeing a beauty ad,” Norman told Fast Company. “Digitally altered images of women are contributing to this problem.”

Beauty Mark has been featured on the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. CVS was named Beauty Retailer of The Year by Women’s Wear Daily.

Norman credits George School with developing his passion for helping people. “Treating everyone as equals comes with the responsibility that you help others. That is what GS taught me,” he said. “If students want to see change, they can do it through business. Business provides the forum to have a positive impact on society at scale, as the Beauty Mark campaign has demonstrated.”

Norman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ithaca College and an MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.