WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Cheryl Mahoney has been named vice president of retail merchandising and promotion and business development at CVS/pharmacy.

She is now responsible for maximizing the impact and profitability of the retailer’s promotional efforts across all front-end ­categories.

The chain drug operator also announced that Alex Perez-Tenessa has assumed Mahoney’s previous duties under the title of vice president of retail merchandising — beauty and personal care. He had been a partner in the retail practice at McKinsey & Co.

In her new position Mahoney will lead the merchandising transition to what the company describes as a more personalized approach to promotion through ExtraCare, the chain’s customer loyalty program. The retail veteran has also been called on to oversee a new effort at creating proper merchandising assortments for the retailer’s clustering initiative.

Perez-Tenessa joins CVS/pharmacy with 15 years of experience in retail strategy and innovation as well as merchandising. At McKinsey & Co. he was credited with developing and leading several merchandising transformational strategies with major retailers.

CVS/pharmacy says that the chain will leverage his “leadership as well as his strategic and innovation strength to build upon our successes and enhance our beauty and personal care business.”

In her more than 40 years at CVS/pharmacy, Mahoney, whose first job with the retailer was that of a part-time sales associate, has observed firsthand significant change in the beauty industry. She has spearheaded various initiatives that have helped the chain’s beauty care offerings to customers to become more sophisticated as well as diverse.

“The business of beauty has come such a long way,” Mahoney said in an interview last year. “There are more skin care and cosmetic choices than ever before, thousands of different retail outlets and constant changes in beauty technology. But what remains constant is the customer’s desire to look and feel her best.

“Our aim is to make the beauty shopping experience as easy and as enjoyable as possible,” she added.