Laxman Narasimhan, an Indian-born American corporate executive, was PepsiCo’s chief commercial officer and Reckitt’s chief executive officer. He was born on April 15, 1967. He is about to succeed temporary CEO Howard Schultz as Starbucks’ future CEO in October 2022.
Early Life
Currently serving as the CEO of the health and hygiene business Reckitt, Laxman Narasimhan will head Starbucks (the coffee giant) in October. After completing his mechanical engineering degree at the University of Pune, Narasimhan moved to the west and earned a master’s degree in German and international relations from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School.
Prior to joining PepsiCo, Narasimhan worked as a senior consultant at McKinsey & Company and as head of global commerce. He has concentrated on McKinsey’s commerce, technology, and customer practises in the US, India, and Asia.
Career
- Laxman Narasimhan has almost 30 years of expertise managing and advising international companies catering to consumers.
- The global FMCG giant, owned by the Anglo-Dutch group Reckitt, appointed him Chief Executive Officer in September 2019. According to the company, he successfully revitalized the company’s strategy, execution, and fundamental competencies, including Dettol, Durex, and Strepsils, among other household brands.
- In September 2019, Rakesh Kapoor was replaced by Narasimhan as CEO of Reckitt Benckiser. Narasimhan created a turnaround strategy to resurrect the business “after a series of errors and sluggish growth that distinguished the last years of his predecessor.” However, the organization abruptly declared his retirement in September 2022, stating “family and personal circumstances.”
- Recently, Starbucks declared that Narasimhan would take over as the organization’s CEO on September 1, 2022. Howard Schultz, the temporary CEO following Kevin Johnson’s resignation in March 2022, will be replaced by him.
- According to the article on the Starbucks website, “Narasimhan is also a trustee of the Brookings Institution, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, served as a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Build Back Better Council, and is a member of Verizon’s Board of Directors.”
Howard Shultz, the temporary CEO of Starbucks, on Narasimhan:
Shultz entrusted the controls to Narasimhan and stated, “Laxman is an inspiring leader. His deep, hands-on experience driving strategic transformations at global consumer-facing businesses makes him the ideal choice to accelerate Starbucks’ growth and capture the opportunities ahead of us. His understanding of our culture and values, coupled with his expertise as a brand builder, innovation champion, and operational leader will be true differentiators as we position Starbucks for the next 50 years, generating value for all our stakeholders.”
In April of the following year, Narasimhan will enter the company’s board.
- On April 1, 2023, Narasimhan will take a seat on the Starbucks board. He will work collaboratively with Schultz after moving from London to Seattle before assuming the CEO position.
- The incoming CEO will spend the transition time getting to know every aspect of the business, including the staff, clients, and production.
- For this time, Schultz will continue to serve as interim CEO.
Private life
- He lives in Greenwich, Connecticut.
- Narasimhan is married with two kids and fluent in six languages.
