Tata Starbucks, a joint venture between Tata Group and Starbucks has appointed Navin Gurnaney as its chief executive officer effective January 1, 2019.
The new CEO will be replacing Sumitro Ghosh who will return to the US parent company after a three-year stint. The company stated that Gurnaney will be responsible for driving Tata Starbucks overall strategic direction and vision in India. Also, it will help in strengthening Starbucks business growth.
“We are pleased to welcome Navin Gurnaney, who has a proven track record of success within Starbucks and is a business leader with the ability to bring people together, as Tata Starbucks continues to innovate and position itself for long-term growth in the India market,” said John Culver, group president, International, Channel Development and Global Coffee & Tea at Starbucks Coffee Company.
Starbucks started its operations in India in October 2012 and recorded the fastest store expansion in the company’s 45-year history in the initial few years. At present, the company has 125 stores. The company posted its first positive EBITDA after its sales growth nearly doubled during FY17-18.