Starbucks has found a new CEO, but is planning a longer transition period.

Laxman Narasimhan, who previously managed the British consumer goods group Reckitt Benckiser, is to move to the top of the American coffee chain.

He is scheduled to start on October 1st, but is not yet taking over the lead immediately.

At the moment, Howard Schultz is CEO on an interim basis, and that should remain so until April 1, 2023, only then should the chairmanship of the board go permanently to Narasimhan.

In the meantime, the 55-year-old manager is said to be going through an adjustment period to become familiar with the company, which is said to include working in Starbucks stores.

Schultz, who is now 69, should also play a role after the change in leadership.

Roland Lindner

Business correspondent in New York.

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The coffee chain has been looking for a new CEO for almost six months.

In March, she announced that Kevin Johnson would be stepping down after five years and Schultz would be replacing him on an interim basis.

Starbucks said at the time it wanted to find a permanent solution by the fall.

This is Schultz's third term.

He was CEO between 1986 and 2000 and again between 2008 and 2017. He is the preeminent figure in the company's history and has made it a global empire.

Wanted: "A Different Kind of Leader"

A few months ago he told the Wall Street Journal that only external candidates would be considered for his successor.

Starbucks needs “a different kind of manager” with expertise that the company does not yet have.

The change in management comes at a turbulent time, as there is currently considerable unrest within the workforce.

In the American home market, employees began unionizing against the express wishes of management, and progress was very rapid.

Last December, workers at a Starbucks store voted to join a union for the first time, and this has since grown to 230 locations.

Referring to the labor movement, Schultz has said Starbucks does not want a "third party" in its company.

After returning to the top, the coffee chain has announced some steps to improve the working environment for staff.

For example, it has suspended share buybacks,

to be able to use more money for wage increases and the modernization of branches.

A total investment of one billion dollars is planned for this.

Laxman Narasimhan will soon become the youngest in a line of Indian-born leaders of prominent US corporations.

For example, the CEOs of Microsoft, Alphabet, IBM, Twitter and Adobe also come from India.

Narasimhan grew up in Pune, he studied both in India and in the USA. In addition to mechanical engineering and business administration, he also completed a degree in German.

He began his career at management consultancy McKinsey, moved to beverage and food group Pepsico, and since 2019 he has led Reckitt Benckiser, a conglomerate of consumer goods brands such as Clearsil face creams and Durex condoms.