Laxman Narasimhan

Laxman Narasimhan (born 15 May 1967) is an Indian-American business executive and former chief executive officer (CEO) of Starbucks and Reckitt.

He was previously chief commercial officer (CCO) of PepsiCo. He joined Starbucks as interim CEO in October 2022, and succeeded Howard Schultz as CEO in April 2023.

Early life

Narasimhan was born on May 15, 1967, in Pune, India into a Hindu family. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering, Pune, an MA in International Studies from The Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Career

Narasimhan worked for McKinsey for 19 years until 2012, rising to director and location manager for their New Delhi office. In 2012, he joined PepsiCo, rising to chief commercial officer.

Narasimhan succeeded Rakesh Kapoor as CEO of Reckitt Benckiser in September 2019, formulating a turnaround plan which was intended to rejuvenate the company "following a series of missteps and lacklustre growth that marked the final years of his predecessor". However, in September 2022 the company unexpectedly announced his resignation, citing "personal and family reasons".

In September 2022, Starbucks announced that Narasimhan would become the company's next CEO. He succeeded Howard Schultz, who had been interim CEO since Kevin Johnson resigned in March 2022. Prior to Narasimhan taking over as CEO, he trained as a barista for six months to learn what changes needed to be made. The New York Times has described Narasimhan as less resistant to Starbucks unionization than Schultz.

In August 2024, Starbucks announced that Narasimhan would leave the company effective immediately, and was replaced by Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol.

Personal life

Narasimhan is married with two children, and lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. He speaks six languages.