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Laxman Narasimhan, a veteran of PepsiCo and other consumer brands, has appointed as the chief executive officer of global coffee giant, Starbucks. Narasimhan is set to join the coffee chain on October 1, this year, after relocating from London to Seattle. As per reports, he will work closely with interim head Howard Schultz, the management team, partners and customers to gain meaningful insights and in-depth exposure to the company and its reinvention plan, before taking up the top role and joining the Board on April 1, 2023.
Laxman Narasimhan Twitter handle
“Starbucks’ commitment to uplift humanity through connection and compassion has long distinguished the company, building an unrivalled, globally admired brand that has transformed the way we connect over coffee,” said Narasimhan in a statement.
While talking about the appointment, he also said that he was humbled to be joining the iconic company at such a pivotal time, as the reinvention and investments in the partner and customer experiences position it to meet the changing demands the world faces today and set us up for an even stronger future.
Regarding the appointment of Narasimhan, the chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra Corporation, Anand Mahindra, tweeted that, “What was initially a trickle of water has turned into a Tsunami. The appointment of Indian-origin CEOs at the world’s most iconic companies I now an unstoppable trend. International boardrooms consider them to be almost ‘safe’ leadership bets.”
Narasimhan has 30 years of experience in leading and advising global consumer-facing brands. Before Starbucks, he was the CEO of Reckitt, a multinational consumer health, hygiene and nutrition company. He has also held leadership roles at PepsiCo and was a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on its consumer, retail and technology practices in the US, Asia and India.
