Last updated on September 14th, 2017 at 03:22 pm
Starbucks Corp. has appointed Rosalind Brewer group president and COO, effective Oct. 2. Brewer, former president and CEO of Sam’s Club and current Starbucks board member, has more than 30 years of management experience and more than 10 years of experience leading multi-national retailers.
“Starbucks is a culture-first company focused on performance, and Roz is a world-class operator and executive who embodies the values of Starbucks,” said Kevin Johnson, Starbucks president and CEO. “She has been a trusted strategic counselor to me ever since she joined our board of directors, and I deeply value her insight, business acumen and leadership expertise. Roz is the right leader to help us realize our greatest of ambitions in this next chapter of our journey. I am honored that Roz is joining Starbucks in this capacity and playing an important role with an accomplished team of senior leaders that reflects the strength and diversity of our organization.”
Brewer will report to Johnson and serve as a member of Starbucks’ senior leadership team. She also will continue to serve on the company’s board of directors. As group president and COO, Brewer will lead the company’s operating businesses across the Americas (Canada, U.S. and Latin America), as well as the global functions of supply chain, product innovation and store development organizations.
According to Starbucks, Brewer brings complementary expertise to other senior leaders including Starbucks veterans John Culver, group president, international and channels, who will lead the businesses in EMEA, China Asia-Pacific and Channel Development; and Cliff Burrows group president, Siren Retail, who leads the development of the Starbucks Roastery, Reserve and Princi operations.
“As a passionate customer of the brand and recently elected board member, I have a deep love and admiration for the Starbucks brand and its people. I am so honored to have the pleasure of working with the Starbucks leadership team to realize our highest of aspirations for the company, and I look forward to working closely with the astute and talented leaders across the enterprise,” said Brewer.
Brewer brings with her insight on large-scale operations and supply chain logistics based on her past senior leadership positions, which include five years with Sam’s Club, the $56 billion members-only warehouse club channel of Walmart Stores Inc.; six years in executive roles for Walmart; and 22 years at Kimberly-Clark. In addition to her experience in consumer products and distribution, Brewer also will provide expertise in product development, product management, innovation, and international operations and distribution.
Brewer earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Spelman College and attended an advanced management program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
She has repeatedly been recognized as one of the world’s most powerful women, ranking No. 19 by Fortune (2016) and No. 57 by Forbes (2016). She also sits on the board of directors for Lockheed Martin Corp. and chairs the board of trustees at Spelman.
Brewer will be based at the Starbucks Support Center in Seattle beginning Oct. 2.
