Brian Niccol
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Executive
1 yr
6 reports
Starbucks Corporation ·SBUX
CEO directly oversees both COO and International CEO
Food & Beverage · Fortune #90 · Functional structure · 381K employees · Seattle, WA
5
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 8)
2
Avg span
tight
3
Max depth
flat for 381K emp
2.4 yr
Avg tenure
60%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-09-28 · 10-K
Revenue
$37.2B
Operating income
$2.9B
Net income
$1.9B
Total assets
$32.0B
Shares out
1.14B
Sourced from Starbucks Corporation DEF 14A · filed 2026-01-26 ↗ View on SEC
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Starbucks operates a functional executive structure in which the CEO directly oversees both the COO and a separate CEO for Starbucks International. This page maps the current leadership team, reporting lines, recent executive changes, and board governance, and places Starbucks’ structure in context against major global restaurant peers.
What to model
Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines
Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.
Latest signal Mike Grams joined as Chief Operating Officer
Appointed COO effective June 4, 2025.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief AI Officer Introduce a Chief AI Officer reporting to the CEO to centralize data, AI, and automation strategy.
- Consolidate International under COO Shift the International CEO to report to the COO, simplifying the CEO’s span of control.
Atlas work this supports
- Connect Workday or UKG Get these analytics for YOUR org — tenure, span of control, headcount, automatically from your HRIS.
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- Plan a Reorg Use this as a starting point. Model scenarios, compare structures, present options to your board.
The people
Who's running this
6 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
Cathy Smith
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Finance
1 yr
0 reports
Mike Grams
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
Operations
1 yr
0 reports
internal
Brady Brewer
Chief Executive Officer, Starbucks International
International
4 yr
0 reports
internal
Sara Kelly
Executive Vice President, Chief Partner Officer
Human Resources
5 yr
0 reports
internal
Bradley E. Lerman
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer
Legal
3 yr
1 reports
The pay
Executive compensation
From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 1 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.
Brian Niccol $90.3M
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
The skin in the game
Beneficial ownership
Insider stock holdings and the company's ownership requirements for executives and directors. Disclosed in the most recent DEF 14A.
Stock ownership requirements
5×Director cash retainer
Non-employee directors must hold stock equal to five times the annual retainer.
The businesses
How Starbucks Corporation divides the work
4 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Finance
3K employees
EVP & CFO (Cathy Smith)
Oversees global finance, accounting, treasury, tax, and investor relations.
Operations
250K employees
EVP & COO (Mike Grams)
Responsible for store operations, supply chain, and operational execution globally.
Starbucks International
120K employees
CEO, Starbucks International (Brady Brewer)
Leads international markets, licensed partnerships, and global expansion strategy.
Partner Resources
8K employees
EVP & Chief Partner Officer (Sara Kelly)
Manages human capital strategy, labor relations, culture, and workforce development.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Starbucks’ most distinctive structural feature is that the CEO directly oversees both a global COO and a separate CEO for Starbucks International.
This places geographic P&L leadership on equal footing with functional leadership rather than routing international operations through the COO. The structure reflects Starbucks’ heavy reliance on international growth, particularly China, while maintaining a classic functional model at the center.
The organization is relatively shallow, with most authority concentrated at the executive vice president level. Key control functions—finance, legal, and partner resources—report directly to the CEO, reinforcing centralized decision-making during the ongoing Back to Starbucks turnaround. Recent appointments in finance and operations further indicate a CEO-led reset rather than delegation to a strong second-in-command.
- International CEO reports directly to CEO
- Functional model retained during turnaround
The comparison
How Starbucks Corporation stacks up
Compared with global restaurant peers, Starbucks maintains a more centralized functional structure. McDonald’s and Yum! Brands both rely more heavily on regional presidents reporting through a COO-like role, while Starbucks elevates its International CEO directly to the CEO. Unlike some peers, Starbucks does maintain a …
C-suite size
Starbucks Corporation
6
Restaurant Brands International
8
Chipotle Mexican Grill
7
Reporting depth
Starbucks Corporation
3 levels
5 levels
5 levels
Restaurant Brands International
5 levels
Chipotle Mexican Grill
4 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Starbucks Corporation
2 yr
4 yr
5 yr
Restaurant Brands International
4 yr
Chipotle Mexican Grill
6 yr
Has COO / Has CAIO
Starbucks Corporation ✓ COO — no CAIO
Restaurant Brands International ✓ COO — no CAIO
Chipotle Mexican Grill — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most consequential change was the appointment of Cathy Smith as CFO in March 2025, completing a finance leadership transition.
- new
- new
- departed
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-01-26
- CEO
- Brian Niccol
- CEO span
- 5
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 2.4 yr
Leadership reflected a post-turnaround reset with new CEO, CFO, and COO.
Named executive officers (5)
- Brian Niccol - CEO since 2024
- Cathy Smith - CFO since 2025
- Mike Grams - COO since 2025
- Brady Brewer - CEO, Starbucks International since 2021
- Sara Kelly - Chief Partner Officer since 2021
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Starbucks Corporation?
Brian Niccol has served as Chairman and CEO since September 2024.
What type of organizational structure does Starbucks use?
Starbucks uses a primarily functional structure with centralized executive control.
How many direct reports does Starbucks's CEO have?
The CEO currently has five direct executive reports.
How has Starbucks's leadership changed recently?
In 2025, Starbucks appointed a new CFO and COO as part of its Back to Starbucks turnaround.
Does Starbucks have a COO?
Yes. Mike Grams has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since June 2025.
Sources
- DEF 14A Filing, Jan 26 2026
- SEC EDGAR: Starbucks Corporation DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Starbucks Corporation 10-K Annual Report
Reference
Cite this page
If you reference this page in research, analysis, or news writing, use one of the formats below. Citation includes the SEC filing source where applicable.
APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Starbucks Corporation organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/starbucks/MLA 9th
"Starbucks Corporation Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/starbucks/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Starbucks Corporation Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/starbucks/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Starbucks Corporation. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-01-26. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/829224/000121390026007780/ea0270973-01.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/starbucks/ · last updated 2026-04-01