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Indian-origin executives are cornering the corner office in global corporations with regularity. On March 20, Seattle-headquartered global coffee chain Starbucks Coffee Company announced that Laxman Narasimhan, 55, has taken over as CEO two weeks ahead of the announced date of April 1, 2023. Narasimhan had joined Starbucks in October 2022 as interim CEO, slated to take over the reins from Howard Shultz, the legendary Starbucks former CEO who had returned from a hiatus in April last year to serve as interim CEO until a new one could be found.
In a social media post, Starbucks said that Narasimhan had, over the past five months, embarked on a unique immersion experience, travelling to work with partners in over 30 stores, manufacturing plants, and support centres around the world, earning his barista certification along the way. “Starbucks is an incredible company and its best days are ahead of it,” said Narasimhan in his post.
To steer the 36,000 Starbucks stores worldwide, Narasimhan brings to the table nearly 30 years of experience working with consumer-facing brands and companies — his area of expertise. Previously, he was the CEO of UK-based consumer company Reckitt for around three years. This was preceded by a stint as CEO of PepsiCo’s Latin America, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa operations, and 19 years with consultancy McKinsey & Co, advising retail, healthcare and consumer goods companies in the US and India.
A polyglot — besides three Indian languages, he speaks German and Spanish — Narasimhan holds an MA in German and an MBA in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
A former colleague at McKinsey describes Narasimhan as quite the people person, bubbling with energy and with the rare ability to combine head and heart. “Laxman has a truly deep understanding of what matters to consumers. And deep experience globally in executing strategies that delight consumers. Couple that with his people-centricity, gravitas and a wicked sense of humour, this is a one-of-a-kind leader, and I’d argue that Starbucks have made a wise choice,” he says.
The Starbucks post says Narasimhan’s preferred Starbucks beverage is a doppio espresso macchiato with hot skim milk on the side. He will definitely need many cups of his favourite beverage as he takes a hold of the coffee giant.
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