George Riedl, senior vice president of pharmacy innovation and purchasing at Walgreen Co., plans to leave the company at the end of the year.

Walgreens said that Riedl, who played a pivotal role in the drug store chain's efforts to improve pharmacy efficiency, aims to explore other opportunities and will finalize his transition from the company during the coming months.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — George Riedl, senior vice president of pharmacy innovation and purchasing at Walgreen Co., plans to leave the company at the end of the year.

The drug store chain reported Friday that Riedl aims to explore other opportunities and will finalize his transition from the company during the coming months.

"With the confidence I have in the direction of the company’s pharmacy operations and in Walgreens future as a whole, this is the right time for me to move on to other opportunities,"  Riedl said in a statement. "I look forward to the challenges that lay ahead."

Since March, Riedl has overseen the rollout of a new pharmacy system in Florida and Arizona that centralizes administrative tasks and provides store pharmacists more time for patient counseling and other clinical services, according to Walgreens. The deployment is complete in Florida and nearing full implementation in Arizona.

"During his 27 years with Walgreens, George has played a key role in several areas, including marketing, merchandising, purchasing and pharmacy services," Walgreens president and chief executive officer Greg Wasson commented. "We appreciate all he has done for the company during that time and for his willingness to stay on during this transition period. George’s outstanding leadership skills in developing and motivating staff will benefit our company for years to come. We wish him the best in his future endeavors."