Starbucks products may now taste just a little bit sweeter amid the coffee giant’s recent installment of its first Black chief operating officer.
Rosalind Brewer officially assumed her new role at the company’s Seattle headquarters on Oct. 2. She will also serve as group president.
“As a passionate customer of the brand and recently elected board member, I have a deep love and admiration for the Starbucks brand and its people,” Brewer said in a statement. “I am so honored to have the pleasure of working with the Starbucks leadership team to realize our highest of aspirations for the company and I look forward to working closely with the astute and talented leaders across the enterprise.”
Brewer will lead the company’s operating businesses across the Americas (Canada, U.S. and Latin America), as well as the global functions of supply chain, product innovation, and store development organizations.
“Starbucks is a culture-first company focused on performance and Roz is a world-class operator and executive who embodies the values of Starbucks,” said Kevin Johnson, Starbucks president and CEO. “She has been a trusted strategic counselor to me ever since she joined our board of directors, and I deeply value her insight, business acumen, and leadership expertise. Roz is the right leader to help us realize our greatest of ambitions in this next chapter of our journey.”
Ranked number 19 by Fortune in 2016 and number 57 by Forbes in 2016, Brewer continues to be recognized as one of the world’s most powerful women.
Brewer previously served as president and CEO of Sam’s Club for five years and held executive roles at Walmart and Kimberly-Clark for nearly three decades, specializing in product development, product management, innovation, and international operations and distribution.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Spelman College and attended an advanced management program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Brewer also sits on the board of directors for Lockheed Martin Corporation and chairs the board of trustees at Spelman.