INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Howard Schultz, the executive chairman for Starbucks, said Monday he is leaving the company.
Starbucks said Monday that executive chairman Howard Schultz, who transformed a small
retail chain of coffee stores into a global juggernaut of cafes, restaurants and coffee beans with more than 28,000 stores in 77 countries,
will be stepping down as executive chairman and as a member of the company's board effective June 26.One of America's most widely recognized
CEOs, Schultz long ago emerged as an outspoken leader on civic issues such as immigration, LGBTQ issues and gun control
This move has reignited speculation that a plan to run for political office could be in his future.In an interview with the New York Times,
Schultz reportedly acknowledged that he may consider public service
Asked specifically if he was planning to run for president, Schultz said "I intend to think about a range of options, and that could include
But I'm a long way from making any decisions about the future.Schultz has for years expressed an interest in becoming more involved in
public life, even as he has equivocated on questions about whether he will mount a campaign for president
His friend David Geffen, the Hollywood mogul and a major Democratic donor, has said he encouraged Schultz to run as far back as the 2008
campaign cycle. Starbucks on the afternoon of May 29 had closed all its stores for racial bias training.Instead of taking that leap,
Schultz has used the intervening years to expand his philanthropic efforts, both through Starbucks and his family foundation, which focuses
on helping veterans, employing young people and helping the homeless in Washington State
He has also co-produced a documentary series at Starbucks about inspiring Americas who engage in acts of citizenship and civility, and
opened a separate personal office to handle his own affairs.At an Atlantic Council event last month in Washington, Schultz laid out a set or
themes that would fit easily into a 2020 presidential campaign, including a warning against isolationism and nationalism."This is not a time
This is a time to build bridges," he said
"We have an awesome responsibility not to be desensitized by the time we are living in, not to accept the status quo of a lack of dignity
and a lack of respect, but to rise above it and to do all we can."Schultz had transitioned from running the company on a day-to-day basis in
April 2017, the second time he'd given up the chief executive's title, most recently to current CEO Kevin Johnson
After becoming executive chairman, he focused on the company's premium brands - its chain of Starbucks Reserve Roasteries, Reserve stores
and its partnership with an Italian bakery, Princi
The company's announcement said that after Schultz leaves the board, he will oversee the opening of two Roastery stores - one in Milan in
September and another in New York in October
He will receive the title of chairman emeritus.The company said that former J.C
Penney chairman and CEO Myron "Mike" Ullman would be appointed its new board chair and Ariel Investments president Mellody Hobson would
Both are current members of the Starbucks board.Howard Schultz, over roughly four decades has built Starbucks into one of the world's most
powerful global brands.Schultz returned to the company's forefront recently as Starbucks became embroiled in controversy over the arrest of
two customers at its Philadelphia store, leading the company to institute racial bias training across the country for 175,000 workers.In the
days after two black men were arrested in Philadelphia, Schultz, along with Johnson, flew to meet with the men and personally apologize
The coffee behemoth then announced it would close stores for the afternoon of May 29 for racial bias training, marking the beginning of
years-long initiatives to steer workers toward inclusivity and sensitivity.In the weeks leading to the training, Schultz repeatedly cast the
arrests as a company-wide failure that reflected on the company's top leadership - rather than placing blame on the manager who called 911
He described going through the training himself and being gripped by the experiences of a colleague who grew up in South Africa during
And he appeared throughout the racial bias curriculum, calling on employees to do their part to uphold a welcoming community for all in
their stores and communities."That's my hope for the company, and that's literally my hope for the country," he said in the training.Schultz
also made clear that Starbucks's racial bias training wasn't just about his company alone."It's not about Starbucks, it's about the
"What kind of country do we want to live in For me the answer is very simple
The promise of America will not be achieved if it is only available to those that have the right color of skin or have the right zip code
We must provide opportunity and aspiration to every single person who is American, and we must see that through the lens of humanity
And this exercise is the beginning of that for Starbucks."(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent
staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
