One of the most prominent figures in Starbucks will be leaving this Tuesday, as Rosann Williams announced her resignation from the brand. Her announcement came through with a statement from the company on Friday, becoming the latest executive to leave Starbucks.
With the coming departure of Rossann Williams, Sara Trilling, a veteran who has spent two decades with the company in Hong Kong in the Asia Pacific Market, will take her place.
Rosann Williams is set to be replaced with Sara Trilling, a veteran who has spent two decades with the company in Hong Kong.
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The departure comes not long after Kevin Johnson, the former CEO of Starbucks, stepped down in April. His replacement was named Howard Schultz, who has been working as an interim leader since then, but it looks like he will continue on with that role until 2022 when someone new takes over permanently while the board continues to search for a long-term successor.
In the months he has led this company, Schultz has committed $1 billion to raise employee wages and hit brakes on the stock buyback program. He’s also vocal about union efforts against Starbucks.
Williams’ departure was revealed in a letter to employees from Starbucks Chief Operating Officer John Culver.
“As we embark on the next chapter, we have made a difficult but necessary change to our North America business; a change that creates new leadership for a new era at Starbucks,” the letter wrote. “The decision was not taken lightly and was once preceded by discussion about a next opportunity for Rossann within the company, which she declined.”
In her early career, Williams worked at various companies including Toys ‘R Us and Blockbuster. She later joined the Starbucks Corporation in 2004. In the past year, she has been against unionization.
However, Starbucks has seen over 150 cafes in the United States vote for unionization.
The departure of Kevin Johnson and comments by Howard Schultz indicated that some major change was coming. The interim CEO suggested that one Starbucks’ primary problem was the inability to meet customer demand for customizing drinks through multiple channels; he also suggested the company would need an outside candidate with experience in managing large organizations, which likely brings about a comprehensive overhaul.
