Starbucks: Who is new CEO Laxman Narasimhan?

Laxman Narasimhan is officially CEO of Starbucks (SBUX). Narasimhan joined Starbucks October 1 as incoming CEO with plans to officially begin his role and join the Starbucks' Board of Directors on April 1, 2023, making his CEO transition two weeks earlier than initially planned.

Known as Laks to baristas, the 55-year old business executive was born in Pune, India in 1967, where he earned a degree in engineering. He then earned a master's degree in international studies and business administration at the University of Pennsylvania.

Laks began his career at the consulting firm McKinsey, then went on to hold various roles, including Global Chief Commercial Officer, at PepsiCo (PEP). In September of 2019, he became the CEO of Reckitt Benckiser, the parent company of Lysol. There, he was credited with boosting sales during the covid pandemic as well as leading the company through the baby formula crisis in the U.S. Narasimhan is also a Verizon (VZ) board member, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a trustee of the Brookings Institution, and served on the board of Reckitt during his tenure as CEO.

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