Howard Schultz, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Starbucks Coffee Company, first walked into Starbucks in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1981. Howard was drawn into conversation with these connoisseurs who took great care in not only finding and roasting the highest quality coffee, but also sharing their passion with others. Drawn to Seattle and its extraordinary coffee culture, Howard moved from his native New York and joined Starbucks in 1982 as director of operations and marketing when Starbucks had four stores.

 

Troy Alstead was named chief financial officer and chief administrative officer in November 2008. In his position, Alstead is focused on the business and financial strategies, decisions, and execution that will deliver on Starbucks short and long term strategies.

 

As president, Americas, Cliff Burrows is responsible for all of Starbucks operations United States, Canada, Mexico and Latin America. It is his mission to ensure that the Starbucks Experience is delivered to customers and partners (employees), combining a passion for the best quality coffee, served in a superb in-store environment. Cliff is known for his demonstrated track record of strong leadership and a commitment to Starbucks Guiding Principles.

 

John Culver is president of Starbucks Coffee China and Asia Pacific. In this role, John provides overall leadership to Starbucks company-operated markets in China, Australia, Singapore and Thailand, as well as the company’s entry into India. He is also responsible for growing and developing Starbucks joint-venture and licensed operations in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines and South Korea.

Michelle Gass is president of Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In this role, Michelle provides overall leadership to Starbucks company-operated markets in the UK, France, and Germany. She is also responsible for growing and developing Starbucks joint-venture and licensed operations in Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Michelle was appointed to the role in July 2011 after nearly 15 years with Starbucks, serving in a variety of leadership roles, including global strategy, marketing and category management.

 

Jeff Hansberry is president of Starbucks Channel Development. In this role, Jeff leads Starbucks efforts to increase distribution through Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), and growing the company’s retail presence through foodservice, licensing and franchising. He is also president, Seattle’s Best Coffee; building the company’s relationship with current and future customers with a goal of transforming it to a billion dollar brand.

As global chief marketing officer, Annie Young-Scrivner is responsible for developing the strategic framework for Starbucks. She is responsible for the global marketing, creative R&D and category function for Starbucks, which includes leadership of the food, merchandise, tea, coffee and other beverage categories.

Adam Brotman is chief digital officer for Starbucks Coffee Company. In this role, he has responsibility for Starbucks core digital businesses, including web, mobile, social media, card, loyalty, e-commerce, Wi-Fi, and the Starbucks Digital Network. Adam leads the company’s emerging in-store digital and entertainment teams and serves as a key member of Starbucks senior leadership team.
 

As chief information officer, Curt Garner oversees Starbucks global technology and engineering services for all Starbucks businesses and operating organizations. These services include: retail technology, business intelligence, software engineering, technology services, information security, finance systems, global infrastructure, as well as infrastructure systems across all Starbucks channels and geographies. In this role, Curt reports to Starbucks chief financial officer, Troy Alstead and serves as a member of Starbucks Senior Leadership team.