Starbucks has hired Laxman Narasimhan as its next chief executive, the company announced on Thursday, putting him in charge of the world’s largest coffee chain. He will will take over in April.
Mr. Narasimhan, 55, will be thrust into one of the world’s most prominent corporate leadership roles, overseeing roughly 35,000 stores and 383,000 employees globally. A former senior PepsiCo executive, he has most recently led Reckitt Benckiser, the British conglomerate that makes Lysol disinfectant and Durex condoms.
Born in Pune, India, Mr. Narasimhan moved to the United States in 1991 to attend the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He then joined the consulting giant McKinsey & Company, eventually becoming a senior partner. In 2012, he moved to PepsiCo, where he rose through the ranks, overseeing operations in Latin America, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, and becoming chief commercial officer.
He was hired at Reckitt in 2019 to revive the conglomerate, which had been burdened by the $16.6 billion takeover of the infant products maker Mead Johnson and an ill-fated move to split the company. He drew praise from investors and analysts for selling underperforming operations and steering the company through the pandemic.
SOURCE: WSJ
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