McKesson UK chief financial officer Chris Keen has stepped down from his leadership role with immediate effect.

It comes after McKesson UK, the parent company of LloydsPharmacy and wholesaler AAH, was acquired by private equity firm Aurelius Group last month. McKesson said the completion of the sale marks ‘McKesson UK’s transition to a standalone UK business,’ having previously been part of US-based parent company McKesson Corporation.

Mr Keen, who joined the pharmaceutical wholesaler in November 2019 as chief financial officer (CFO), ‘has taken the decision to step down from the business to take a break and explore new opportunities,’ McKesson UK announced.

Last month, he became a non-executive director of fishing tackle retailer company Angling Direct Plc, in a part-time role.

Before becoming CFO at McKesson UK, Mr Keen had been group CFO for Holland & Barrett, working for Boots prior to that.

His departure on 18 May comes after McKesson UK CEO Toby Anderson stepped down from his role on 11 May, after three years with the company.

McKesson UK confirmed Mr Anderson would be leaving with ‘immediate effect’ but did not explain why.

Dominik Müser, a spokesperson for Aurelius, said: ‘We remain focused on delivering great services for our customers and patients across our individual businesses.’

Mr Müser ‘will step into the position of chief financial officer with immediate effect,’ McKesson UK said.

It said its executive leadership team will continue to lead the business with the support of Aurelius Group. ‘It is vital we have a strong and stable leadership team in place to help us deliver our ambitious strategy,' McKesson UK said. 'We are confident we have the right people in place, and we regularly review our structures to ensure we are set up for success.

‘We remain focussed on delivering great services for customers and patients across our individual businesses as we strive to become the UK’s leading healthcare organisation.

‘Through LloydsPharmacy, LloydsPharmacy Clinical Homecare and AAH, we play a vital role in protecting the health of communities across the country and now, with the expertise and backing of Aurelius Group, we have an exciting opportunity to grow and improve our business even more over the next few years.’

Along with LloydsPharmacy and AAH, Mckesson UK comprises of Trident, Enterprise, John Bell & Croyden, LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor and LloydsDirect.

Mr Keen and Mr Anderson have been approached for comment.

In July last year, McKesson sold its European businesses to the Phoenix Group and in November announced the sale of its UK arm to Aurelius for £477m.

These moves, McKesson said at the time, were part of a broader enterprise strategy to fully exit the European region.

Last year, Lloyds expanded its digital arm and added an online video GP service to its app that offers patients a same-day appointment.