Kevin Johnson Assumes Starbucks President and COO Roles
Starbucks announced that Kevin Johnson has begun his role as president and chief operating officer. He was appointed in January following Troy Alstead’s decision to take a sabbatical after 23 years with the coffee company.
As Starbucks president and COO, Johnson will manage all operational functions, including the global businesses of Starbucks in the Americas, EMEA and China/Asia Pacific. He will also oversee the company’s global supply chain which works with more than 21,000 stores in 66 countries worldwide.
Johnson will draw on his decades of experience in the tech industry to direct Starbucks information technology, and mobile and digital platforms. He’s a longtime tech leader, having served as CEO of Juniper Networks and as a Microsoft executive. At Microsoft, he led worldwide sales, marketing and services which gave him key insights in running a large customer-facing global operation, according to a Starbucks report.
“The digital revolution has put mobile devices in the hands of consumers and cloud computing enables new types of services. The businesses that utilize technology to enhance their customers’ experiences are going to be the big winners in the years to come. I’d definitely put Starbucks in that category,” Johnson said.
