Starbucks has appointed Laxman Narasimhan as the company’s next CEO – effective 1 October – succeeding interim CEO Howard Schultz, who took on the role five months ago.
Narasimhan will relocate from London, UK, to Seattle, Washington, and will work closely with Schultz. Narasimhan’s most recent role was as CEO at Reckitt Benckiser Group – which announced his exit yesterday and promoted current senior independent director, Nicandro Durante, as CEO.
Narasimhan has also held various leadership roles at PepsiCo from 2014-2019, including CEO of Latin America, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa and global chief commercial officer.
Mellody Hobson, independent Starbucks’ board of directors chair, said: “Laxman is an inspiring leader. His deep, hands-on experience driving strategic transformations at global consumer-facing businesses makes him the ideal choice to accelerate Starbucks’ growth and capture the opportunities ahead of us.”
She added: “His understanding of our culture and values, coupled with his expertise as a brand builder, innovation champion and operational leader will be true differentiators as we position Starbucks for the next 50 years, generating value for all our stakeholders.”
During the transition period, Schultz will continue in the role of interim CEO, following which he will continue to serve as a member of Starbucks’ board of directors.
By Rafaela Sousa
Source: foodbev.com
Schumacher will replace Alan Jope, who announced his decision to retire last September, less than a year after a failed attempt by Unilever to buy GlaxoSmithKline’s consumer healthcare business and just months after activist investor Nelson Peltz joined the company’s board.
Globally, plant-based ice creams have doubled their share of the market over the last five years, according to Tetra Pack. Pea protein and coconut milk are leading the way, but Tetra Pak cites data showing that oat-based ice cream launches have doubled in the previous year.
A myriad of so-called eco-labels are being rolled out across various F&B products, but with no gold standard or strict rules governing precisely what the logos mean and what methodology is behind them, concerns are growing that they will confuse consumers and ultimately be counterproductive.