Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
Global Indians

Indian-born Laxman Narasimhan is new CEO of Starbucks

Darpan News Desk IANS, 02 Sep, 2022 11:03 AM
  • Indian-born Laxman Narasimhan is new CEO of Starbucks

Washington, Sep 2 (IANS) Global coffee chain Starbucks has named Indian-born Laxman Narasimhan its next CEO.

Narasimhan, who currently heads health and hygiene company Reckitt, will join Starbucks in October and take over from its iconic interim CEO Howard Shultz in April.

Narasimhan joins the growing ranks of Indian-descent CEOs heading leading US corporate giants such as Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Sundar Pichai of Alphabet, Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, Punit Renjen of Deloitte and Raj Subramaniam of FedEx. Major former Desi CEOs include Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo and Ajay Banga of Mastercard.

The incoming Starbucks CEO studied mechanical engineering at the University of Pune and then he headed west, picking up Masters in German and International Studies from The Lauder Institute at The University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.

"Starbucks commitment to uplift humanity through connection and compassion has long distinguished the company, building an unrivaled, globally admired brand that has transformed the way we connect over coffee. I am humbled to be joining this iconic company at such a pivotal time, as the reinvention and investments in the partner and customer experiences position us to meet the changing demands we face today and set us up for an even stronger future," said Narasimhan, adding, "I look forward to working closely with Howard, the Board, and the entire leadership team -- and to listening and learning from Starbucks partners -- as we collectively build on this work to lead the company into its next chapter of growth and impact."

He will relocate to Seattle, Washington, from London and will work closely with Shultz before taking over formally in April.

"Laxman is an inspiring leader. His deep, hands-on experience driving strategic transformations at global consumer-facing businesses makes him the ideal choice to accelerate Starbucks growth and capture the opportunities ahead of us. His understanding of our culture and values, coupled with his expertise as a brand builder, innovation champion, and operational leader will be true differentiators as we position Starbucks for the next 50 years, generating value for all our stakeholders," said Shultz.

Shultz's handpicked successor Kevin Johnson retired in April after five years and Shultz returned to take back control of the company as interim CEO and a search got underway for a long-term head, which ended with Narasimhan being announced on Thursday.

Shultz will remain a member of the Starbucks board, the company said and he will "remain closely involved with the company's reinvention and act as an ongoing advisor to Narasimhan".

Narasimhan previously worked with PepsiCo, including as global Chief Commercial Officer, as a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, before that. At McKinsey he had been focused on its consumer, retail and technology practices in the US, Asia and India.

Photo courtesy of IANS and IStock. 

MORE Global Indians ARTICLES

India becomes talent factory for P&G worldwide; Sundar Raman joins global ranks

India becomes talent factory for P&G worldwide; Sundar Raman joins global ranks
Sundar began his career as a market analyst in India in 1998 straight from campus and soon moved to the US where he worked in a variety of roles from business intelligence to marketing, in P&G Beauty.

India becomes talent factory for P&G worldwide; Sundar Raman joins global ranks

'Self-esteem the reason we can't achieve our fullest potential'

'Self-esteem the reason we can't achieve our fullest potential'
She aims to give her readers a new perspective on this aspect and empower them to turn their dreams into reality and live a life of purpose.

'Self-esteem the reason we can't achieve our fullest potential'

'What are we if not our memories?'

'What are we if not our memories?'
"The Slow Disappearing",  part memoir and three parts fiction that suggests fading relationships as well as a fading memory, the writing of which she describes as a "wonderfully cathartic experience".

'What are we if not our memories?'

Introducing Chaitanya Tamhane

Introducing Chaitanya Tamhane
Maharastrian filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane has had a year. His second feature, The Disciple, not only found its way to the Toronto and Venice Film Festivals, it won Best Screenplay at the latter and was acquired by Netflix.

Introducing Chaitanya Tamhane

Introducing Siddharth Akali

Introducing Siddharth Akali
Meet Siddharth Akali, a lawyer specialized in international human rights and sustainability

Introducing Siddharth Akali

Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany the Father of Fibre Optics no more at 94.

Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany the Father of Fibre Optics no more at 94.
Darpan Magazine had an opportunity to host him and listen to his incredible Light Journey at the 7th Annual Extraordinary Achievement Awards where he was the recipient of the International Sensation Award. Darpan is saddened to learn about his passing away and we offer our heartfelt condolences to his family.

Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany the Father of Fibre Optics no more at 94.