Starbucks is moving away from one of the bigger organizational changes made under its now-former CEO.
Michael Conway, an 11-year veteran of the coffee shop giant who was named CEO of North America just last March, is retiring at the end of November, according to a federal securities filing this week.
The Seattle-based coffee giant is also planning to hire a chief brand officer. The role will oversee product, marketing, digital, customer insights, creative and store concepts. The position is a new one, though Starbucks has had some version of it in the past.
The moves come just a week after Brian Niccol took over as Starbucks CEO.
“Starbucks is one of the world’s iconic brands,” Niccol said in a statement. “As we focus on what makes Starbucks special, our chief brand officer will help us deliver on the ambition we have for this beloved brand.”
Conway was elevated to CEO of North America in March as part of a broad-based change in management team one year into the tenure of now-former Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan. Conway had previously overseen international and the chain’s channel development business.
In the March announcement, Starbucks shifted Chief Marketing Officer Brady Brewer to Starbucks International. Brewer was not replaced and marketing instead became a regional position under each geographic CEO.
Starbucks does not plan to replace Conway’s role and he will remain as an executive advisor until he leaves in November. Sara Trilling will continue to lead the chain’s North America retail operations. The changes are designed to help different parts of the company work together and speed decision-making.
The 58-year-old Conway had apparently been pondering retirement for some time. In a statement, he mentioned Niccol’s early plans for fixing Starbucks.
“Recognizing the unmatched capabilities of the Starbucks team and seeing the energy and enthusiasm for Brian’s early vision, I could not think of a better time to begin my transition towards retirement,” he said.
Niccol was lured away from Chipotle in August amid weakening sales both in the U.S. and China. He replaced Narasimhan, who himself had taken the CEO job less than a year and a half earlier following a six-month introductory period.
Changes in management at Starbucks have been frequent over the past two-plus years, after the retirement of CEO Kevin Johnson and an interim tenure by longtime, on-again, off-again CEO Howard Schultz.
In his open letter last week, Niccol said that, “We’re refocusing on what has always set Starbucks apart.”
And he noted that the company needs “Tell our story again” and that “we won’t let others define who we are.”
UPDATE: This story has been updated to clarify the headline and add more information.
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