Starbucks new CEO wastes no time in overhauling executive ranks

Starbucks Corp's new chief executive officer Brian Niccol is wasting no time rearranging the company's top ranks, undoing some leadership changes his predecessor had implemented only six months earlier.

Niccol has eliminated the role of global chief merchant and product officer held by Lyne Castonguay, a position created by ousted CEO Laxman Narasimhan as part of a broader reorganisation in March. Castonguay, who was in charge of product development, consumer insights and data science, is no longer with the company, a Starbucks spokesperson said in response to an inquiry from Bloomberg News.

Since joining on September 9, Niccol has moved quickly to address the company's sales slump after two straight quarters of negative results led to the surprise exit of his predecessor.


On Niccol's second day on the job, the former Chipotle Mexican Grill chief came out with the broad strokes of a plan to gin up growth by making Starbucks cafes more inviting, improving workers' experience and speeding up morning service. He's also sought to put in place the required leadership.