Starbucks announces management changes to accelerate growth

Seattle -- Starbucks Corp. announced a series of management changes that it said it was undertaking to accelerate its innovation and growth. The changes come after Starbucks missed its global sales forecasts in April, mainly due to a downturn in Europe.



The company named Craig Russell, the senior VP U.S. Store Services, as senior VP of the Global Coffee division.



It also named Arthur Rubinfeld as the chief creative officer and president of Global Development and Evolution Fresh Retail division. Rubinfeld initially joined Starbucks in 1992, spending 10 years growing Starbucks retail presence from 100 stores to 4,000 stores around the world. He returned to Starbucks in 2008 to lead global store development.



In addition, Starbucks appointed Annie Young-Scrivner as executive VP and president of Starbucks Canada (the company’s largest market outside the United States). Young-Scriver previously held the title of global chief marketing officer. Starbucks said the global position will not be replaced since it has moved its marketing and category functions to the regional and market level in order to be more locally relevant.



“As we continue to sharpen our focus and strengthen our three-region operating model, local relevancy and speed of decision making are two critical requirements we must deliver so that we can seize opportunities,” said Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and CEO. “The leadership moves we announced today will enable us to more swiftly position ourselves for the exciting opportunities ahead while never losing sight of the fact that we are a global brand with a rich heritage in coffee, long-standing values, and the responsibility to use our scale for good.”