CEOs are running companies from afar even as workers return to office

FOR Starbucks Corp, its primary home is Seattle.

Yet, its freshly minted chief executive officer is not living in the same city or even state as its headquarters – an emerging trend of top leaders living a plane ride away at a time when many employees are forced to return to the office.

Indeed, this week Victoria’s Secret & Co, based in Columbus, Ohio, named a new CEO who will be in New York. 

Brian Niccol, the new CEO of Starbucks, will not be required to move to Seattle, where the company is based, even though he will be spending much of his time there. He is also getting a remote office in Newport Beach, California, where his former employer Chipotle Mexican Grill is located. Hillary Super, who was poached from Rihanna’s lingerie brand to be the next leader at Victoria’s Secret, will be moving from California to live in New York.

Both executives have agreed to commute frequently for their role. Starbucks will allow Niccol to use its corporate plane, and Victoria’s Secret will cover Super’s travel expenses. 

They are joining the growing ranks of corporate leaders being given the option to run their businesses from hundreds or thousands of miles away, at least some of the time. 

BT in your inbox

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign Up

Sign Up

Kelly Ortberg, who became Boeing Co’s CEO this month, will be based in Seattle – near much of the company’s production – rather than its corporate headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. United Airlines Holdings’ Scott Kirby splits his time between his primary residence in Dallas and Chicago, where his company is based. 

That is a stark contrast to corporate employees, many of whom are facing a return-to-office mandate.

White-collar employees at Starbucks, for example, were required at the beginning of last year to return to the office at least three days a week, a move that sparked backlash from some workers. 

SEE ALSO

Starbucks’ US$113 million deal puts Niccol among top-paid CEOs

Some Victoria’s Secret employees are in the office, while others are allowed to work remotely. Super is not the first or only senior executive at her company to be based outside of Ohio. The company’s brand president and head of design both live in New York.

“We have headquarter offices in many locations, including New York,” a Victoria’s Secret spokesperson said in a statement. “For us, what’s most important is that our teams feel supported no matter where they are based.” 

Super’s predecessor, Martin Waters, was also based in New York and would visit the Ohio facilities frequently.

Niccol, who moved Chipotle’s headquarters from Denver, is not following precedent at Starbucks. The coffee chain’s previous CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, relocated to Seattle from the UK. Niccol will spend the majority of his time at the Seattle headquarters, according to a Starbucks spokesperson. BLOOMBERG