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Starbucks North American CEO Michael Conway has decided to step down and will not appoint a successor, the coffee giant announced on Monday.
Starbucks said on its website that Conway, who became North American CEO in April, will remain with the company as an executive adviser until the end of November before officially leaving the company after 11 years with the company.
Michael Conway, Starbucks Support Center, March 13, 2024. (Joshua Trujillo/Starbucks/Fox News)
News of Conway’s departure comes about a month after Starbucks fired Lakshman Narasimhan as CEO and named former Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol as his successor, who officially took over as CEO on September 9.
Starbucks has had six CEOs since its 1992 IPO, and the company’s hiring and firings have been dramatic.
In his open letter, Nicol said the company would first focus on ensuring U.S. stores could deliver drinks and food on time, as well as re-create the coffeehouse culture in its stores.


Brian Nicol in New York City on June 10, 2015. (Robin Merchant/Getty Images)
Starbucks does not plan to fill the North American CEO position following Conway’s departure, and Sarah Trilling, Starbucks’ head of North American retail operations, will report directly to Nicol.
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Prior to taking on the role of CEO for North America, Conway served as group president of international and channel development for Starbucks.


A Starbucks coffee shop sign in Miami, Florida on June 11, 2021. (Joe Raedl/Getty Images)
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He also served as president of the company’s Canadian operations and president of the Licensed Stores division in the U.S. and Latin America.
Reuters contributed to this report.