SEATTLE — Kevin Johnson, president and chief operating officer of Starbucks Corp. and a seven-year member of the Starbucks board of directors, will assume the role and responsibilities of president and chief executive officer, effective April 3, 2017.
Also effective April 3, 2017, Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO, will be appointed executive chairman and will shift his focus to innovation, design and development of Starbucks Reserve Roasteries around the world, expansion of the Starbucks Reserve retail store format and the company’s social impact initiatives. In this new role Schultz will continue to serve as chairman of the board.
As president and chief operating officer since March 2015, Johnson has led the company’s global operating businesses across all geographies as well as the core support functions of Starbucks supply chain, marketing, human resources, technology, and mobile and digital platforms. Johnson has been a Starbucks board member since 2009, and will continue to serve as a member of the Starbucks board of directors.
Johnson’s career spans 33 years in the technology industry, which included a 16-year career at Microsoft and a 5-year tour as CEO of Juniper Networks.
Founed in 1971, Starbucks Coffee Co. has more than 25,000 stores around the globe.