NEW YORK — At a reception in Manhattan this month, Chain Drug Review honored the recipients of the publication’s Retailer of the Year Awards.

In the spotlight before a throng of their retail peers and supplier partners were Alex Gourlay, co-chief operating officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), who was named Retailer of the Year; Kevin Hourican, executive vice president of retail pharmacy and supply chain at CVS Health, who received Rx Executive of the Year honors; and Martin Otto, chief merchant and chief financial officer of H-E-B, who was recognized with the Industry Leadership award.

Gourlay was honored with the Retailer of the Year Award for his contributions to the emergence of a renewed sense of purpose and embrace of new thinking at WBA. Meanwhile, Hourican has succeeded in helping to establish an environment in which CVS Pharmacy professionals can flourish and take on a bigger role in addressing the problems of health care access, quality and cost, earning him the Rx Executive of the Year Award.

And Otto, a former chairman of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, won kudos for his ability to reframe the challenges facing the industry and bringing a new perspective to pharmacy’s role in society.