Which CEO succeeded Howard Schultz as CEO of Starbucks in 2017?

Kevin Johnson succeeded Howard Schultz as Starbucks CEO in 2017. Johnson became the company’s fourth chief executive on April 3, 2017, after serving as Starbucks president and chief operating officer.

Johnson joined Starbucks’ board in 2009 and later took responsibility for operations, technology, and digital initiatives. Before Starbucks, he held senior roles at Microsoft and served as chief executive of Juniper Networks, giving him a technology-focused background unusual among Starbucks leaders.

As CEO, Johnson expanded mobile ordering and pickup and helped negotiate Starbucks’ global consumer-products alliance with Nestlé. He also emphasized operational changes and corporate responses to racial inequality.

Howard Schultz is the most common mix-up because he preceded Johnson and later returned as interim CEO in 2022. Jim Donald and Orin Smith were also former Starbucks CEOs, but neither succeeded Schultz in 2017.