Starbucks incoming CEO Laxman Narasimhan is now a certified barista — know how he mastered the art

Laxman Narasimhan has proved his worth as the incoming CEO of beverage chain Starbucks. In a LinkedIn post, Laxman revealed that he is now a certified barista following a 40-hour training period which was aimed at serving coffee to customers.

Next month, the Indian-American businessman, who joined Starbucks in October 2022 as interim CEO, is slated to succeed Howard Schultz as full-time chief executive.

One thing that is for sure is that Pune-born Laxman can whip up a nice frothy coffee in a mug and in order to ensure that he stays true to spirit of Starbucks, which has over 30,000 stores globally. Laxman spent time in 33 stores in 12 global markets.

"We chose a diverse set of locations for me to work so I can better understand the breadth of the partner experience. I have spent time in 33 stores in 12 global markets. I am now a certified barista following 40 hours of training designed to give me the hands-on experience of the joy and challenges that come with the front-line job," the former Reckitt CEO wrote in his post.

Narasimhan's career took off when he got to work as an executive for the global management consulting firm McKinsey from 1993 to 2012, progressing to the post of director and location manager of its office in Delhi.

Narasimhan then got an offer from the beverages giant PepsiCo in 2012. There, he rose to the rank of chief commercial officer and later served as the CEO of PepsiCo Latin America.

He became the first external candidate to take the helm of UK-based consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser as CEO in 2019.

The 55-year-old trained mechanical engineer also noted that during the few days he worked behind the counter as a barista, he did gain a lot of life experience throughout breaks and shifts. The advice ranges from "always be uplifting and encouraging" to “find the joy. Never stop looking for that joy… In that joy, you’ll find the possibilities."

The CEO-designate of Starbucks, which is valued at $115.42 billion, seemed to have gotten the right advice and one hopes that he at least got the names of customers right on their coffee mugs.