Laxman Narasimhan

Laxman Narasimhan
Narasimhan in 2017
Born	(1967-05-15) 15 May 1967 (age 58) Pune, India
Education	College of Engineering, Pune (BTech) University of Pennsylvania (MA, MBA)
Title	Former CEO of Starbucks and Reckitt
Predecessor	Howard Schultz (acting) Kevin Johnson
Successor	Brian Niccol
Children	2

Laxman Narasimhan (born 15 May 1967) ^[1] is an Indian-born American business executive who is a director of Verizon ^[2] and Pendulum Therapeutics, and a trustee for the Brookings Institution. ^[3] He is the former chief executive officer (CEO) of Starbucks and Reckitt. ^{[4] [5]}

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. He was ousted by the Starbucks board in August 2024. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Early life

Narasimhan was born on May 15, 1967, in Pune, India into a Hindu family. ^{[1] [9]} 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, also at the University of Pennsylvania. ^{[10] [11]}

Career

Narasimhan worked for McKinsey for 19 years until 2012. ^[12] He worked across the Cleveland, Tokyo, Toronto, Silicon Valley, New Delhi and London offices, ^[13] rising to director and location manager for their New Delhi office and overseeing work for consumer-facing companies across Asia. ^{[14] [15]}

In 2012, he joined PepsiCo, rising to chief commercial officer. ^[10]

Narasimhan succeeded Rakesh Kapoor as CEO of Reckitt Benckiser in September 2019, ^{[11] [16]} 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". ^[17] While serving as CEO, Narasimhan prioritized growth and investment in its health, nutrition and hygiene divisions while shedding noncore brands. ^{[18] [19]}

In September 2022 the company unexpectedly announced his resignation, explaining that he had "decided for personal and family reasons to relocate back to the United States and has been approached for an opportunity that enables him to live there." ^[20]

In September 2022, Starbucks announced that Narasimhan would become the company's next CEO. ^[6] He succeeded Howard Schultz, who had been interim CEO since Kevin Johnson resigned in March 2022. ^{[7] [21]} Prior to Narasimhan taking over as CEO, he trained as a barista for six months to learn what changes needed to be made. ^{[22] [23]} The New York Times has described Narasimhan as less resistant to Starbucks unionization than Schultz. ^[24]

In 2023, Narasimhan's total compensation from Starbucks was $14.6 million, or 1,028 times the median employee pay at Starbucks for that year. ^[25]

In August 2024, Starbucks announced that Narasimhan would leave the company effective immediately, and was replaced by Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol. ^[26]

In October 2025, he joined the board of directors at Pendulum Therapeutics, a microbiome science company. ^{[27] [28]}

Personal life

Narasimhan is married with two children, and lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. ^[29] He speaks six languages. ^[11]

See also

• Indians in the New York City metropolitan area

References

1. "Reckitt boss Laxman Narasimhan: Growing up in India, you learn resilience". The Times. May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
2. (https://www.verizon.com/about/investors/laxman-narasimhan)
3. https://www.brookings.edu/about-us/board-of-trustees/
4. "Photo Essay: Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan Comes Home to India". Starbucks.
5. "5 things to know about new Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. September 2, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
6. "Starbucks Names Laxman Narasimhan as Next Chief Executive Officer". Starbucks Stories. Starbucks Corporation. September 1, 2022. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2022. Starbucks [...] today announced that Laxman Narasimhan will become the company's next chief executive officer and a member of the Starbucks Board of Directors.
7. Sorkin, Andrew Ross; de la Merced, Michael J. (September 1, 2022). "Starbucks names a new chief executive". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 1, 2022.
8. Lucas, Amelia (August 14, 2024). "Starbucks is giving incoming CEO Brian Niccol $85 million in cash and stock as he departs Chipotle". CNBC. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
9. "Friends recall next Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan beyond business, Pune roots". The Times of India. September 3, 2022. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved July 20, 2023.
10. "Laxman Narasimhan". World Economic Forum. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
11. O'Dwyer, Michael (June 12, 2019). "Reckitt poaches Pepsi executive as new boss". The Telegraph. Retrieved June 14, 2019– via The Telegraph.
12. "Laxman Narasimhan". World Economic Forum. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
13. "Laxman Narasimhan". AABDC. September 14, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
14. "Laxman Narasimhan starbucks: Laxman Narasimhan is the new Starbucks CEO; Here's a list of Indian-origin leaders in global companies - The Economic Times". m.economictimes.com. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
15. Review, Brunswick (September 20, 2023). "Barista in Chief". Brunswick Review. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
16. "The Board – RB". rb.com. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
17. Evans, Judith; Wembridge, Mark (September 1, 2022). "Reckitt Benckiser chief Laxman Narasimhan to step down". Financial Times. London. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
18. "Starbucks's Boss Is a Move-Fast Espresso Drinker New to Retail". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
19. Hetzner, Christiaan. "Meet Starbucks' new CEO with a 'lead from a distance' philosophy". Fortune. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
20. "Laxman Narasimhan steps down as CEO". Reckitt. Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC. September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022. Reckitt Benckiser Group plc ("Reckitt") today announces that its CEO, Laxman Narasimhan will step down as Chief Executive Officer on September 30, 2022. Laxman has decided for personal and family reasons to relocate back to the United States and has been approached for an opportunity that enables him to live there.
21. "Starbucks's new CEO will work in cafes once a month". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved April 18, 2023.
22. "Starbucks new CEO reveals his favorite coffee order after spending 6 months working side by side with baristas". Fortune. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
23. "Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan is making store-level changes after training as a barista". Nation's Restaurant News. September 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
24. Scheiber, Noam (February 28, 2024). "Starbucks and Union Agree to Work Out Framework for Contract Talks". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
25. Anderson, Sarah (August 29, 2024). "Executive Excess 2024: The "Low Wage 100" corporations are enriching CEOs at the expense of workers and long-term investment" (PDF). Institute for Policy Studies . Archived (PDF) from the original on August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
26. Lucas, Amelia (August 13, 2024). "Starbucks replaces CEO Laxman Narasimhan with Chipotle Mexican Grill CEO Brian Niccol". CNBC. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
27. Therapeutics, Pendulum. "Pendulum Therapeutics Appoints Former Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan to Board of Directors". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
28. "PENDULUM THERAPEUTICS APPOINTS FORMER STARBUCKS CEO LAXMAN NARASIMHAN TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS". Webull. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
29. "Laxman Narasimhan". outstanding50award. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.