Who is Niccol Brian? Know all about Starbucks' new CEO

Brian Niccol, the current chairman of Chipotle Mexican Grill, was appointed as the new CEO of Starbucks on August 13. According to the US regulatory filing, Niccol’s tenure as the Chipotle CEO will conclude on August 31, 2024. In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said that Niccol has his “respect and full support.”

Who is Laxman Narasimhan? Know about ousted CEO of Starbucks

Laxman Narasimhan, the ousted CEO, will also be leaving the Starbucks board. He had joined the company in 2023. recently, the coffee chain witnessed a 3 percent decline in the global sales at the stores open for minimum a year, a CNN report said.

While Starbucks struggled in Narasimhan's stint, Chipotle, on the other hand registered an 800 percent revenue growth under Niccol's purview, the CNN report added.

Brian Niccol's stint at Chipotle

Niccol, who has been serving as Chipotle's CEO since 2018, became Chairman of the Board in March 2020.

“I depart knowing the business is in great shape and poised for growth with a strong, experienced leadership team," the outgoing CEO said in a statement.

Brian Niccol: Journey so far

A pioneering leader in the food industry, Niccol has won several awards including Bloomberg’s ‘People who Defined 2019’ (The Bloomberg 50), Comparably’s ‘Best CEO’s (2019), Fortune’s ‘Businessperson of the Year’ (2019), ‘Distinguished Alumni’ by University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business (2020), EatingWell’s American Food Heroes (2021), Nation’s Restaurant News’ The Power List (2021).

Niccol is also on the board of directors of Walmart Inc. He previously served on the board of KB Home and Harley-Davidson.

From 2015 to early 2018, Niccol served as CEO of Taco Bell, a division of Yum! Brands, Inc. Previously, he joined Taco Bell in 2011 as Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer and went on to become President from 2013 to 2014.

Prior to his stint at Taco Bell, Niccol served in various executive positions at Pizza Hut from 2005 to 2011. Before joining Yum! Brands, Niccol spent a decade at Procter & Gamble.

Educational qualifications

Niccol holds an undergraduate degree from Miami University, where he studied between 1992 and 1996. Niccol also hold an MBA degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he studied between 2000 and 2002.