Wedgewood, a Swedesboro-based veterinary compounding pharmacy and a provider of online pharmacy services, said Wednesday that Marcy Bliss will retire from her role as CEO. Bliss will retain her position on the Wedgewood board and serve as a senior adviser to the incoming CEO and board. Alejandro Bernal has been named as her successor and will assume the role July 8.
Bliss has been with Wedgewood for 25 years, the last eight as CEO. She has been a fierce advocate for the rights of animals. During her tenure as CEO, Wedgewood Pharmacy expanded its operational reach through several significant acquisitions as well as leading-edge technology with the launch this year of Blue Rabbit, a next-generation prescription management platform for veterinarians and their clients.
“It has been a remarkable personal and professional journey to collaborate alongside the 1,200 dedicated staff at Wedgewood who tirelessly serve our customers every day,” Bliss said. “It was an honor and a privilege to work with this team and lead and grow this company, but the time is right for me to retire. I will miss the day-to-day of Wedgewood, but I am looking forward to having more time for family, travel and my commitments to several private equity board positions.”
Bernal is a seasoned animal health executive with global experience in fast-growing and large-scale businesses in the animal health and pet care industries for over 25 years. He comes to Wedgewood most recently from the role of CEO and president of PetDx. Prior to that, he was president for Mars Veterinary Health International and Diagnostics. Prior to joining Mars Veterinary Health, he spent 18 years at Zoetis (and its predecessor, Pfizer Animal Health), 10 of them as a member of the Zoetis executive team.
“We are very excited about the future of Wedgewood Pharmacy. Marcy’s 25-year legacy is an inspiration and, on behalf of the board, we thank her for her dedicated leadership,” Kevin Vasquez, chairman of the Wedgewood board, said. “Marcy is leaving Wedgewood Pharmacy in a powerful, industry-leading position, and we are confident that Alejandro will continue to build on that success. He’s a collaborative and solution-focused leader who will continue the company’s commitment to innovation and care for the health of animals.”
