New Starbucks CEO must strike while the coffee is hot
Brian Niccol has the backing of investors, Howard Schultz and Elliott Management – at least for now. It’s a rare opportunity.
BRIAN Niccol is swapping burrito bowls for cold brew.
THE chief executive officer of Chipotle Mexican Grill has been appointed CEO and chairman of Starbucks, sending the coffee giant’s shares up by more than 20 per cent. He replaces Laxman Narasimhan, who had been CEO since March 2023.
Niccol has done well reviving the casual dining chain. But Starbucks is altogether more challenging. He will need to push through the change that the world-famous coffee chain desperately needs while also balancing the demands of activist investor Elliott Management and those of Howard Schultz, who built Starbucks from a boutique to an international juggernaut, and remains “chairman emeritus”.
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