Tata Starbucks, one of Tata consumer products organization announced on Wednesday that Sushant Dash will take over as Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the Coffee chain business. Starbucks confirmed that CEO designation will be effective from April 1, 2021. He will take over the operations of Starbucks from May 1, 2021.
Why Sushant is Appointed as New CEO?
Sushant Dash will be the 4th CEO of the coffee chain business. The company was started in the year 2012. Navin Gurney, who is the current CEO of Starbucks, is resigning from the position for opportunities outside the company.
Under the leadership of Navin, Starbucks showed immense growth. Navin worked in four major areas of Starbucks. First, he grew the geographical area with more stores in different cities. Second, he changed the older format of the Starbucks chain. Third, he started few initiatives to show the Starbucks presence in the local community. Fourth, he brought a visible change to product offerings.
Starbucks started its operation with a 50-50 partnership with Tata consumer products. Starbucks is having a wide presence in 17 major cities of India. Till now, it has a chain of around 215 stores.
When Starbucks was launched in India in the last quarter of 2012, Sushant was one of the members of the core team. In the initial days of Starbucks, Sushant handled the marketing and strategic functionalities of the newly launched Starbucks.
Currently, Sushant is part of the packages beverage services of Tata consumer products. He is the President of India, Bangladesh, and the Middle East region. The tea business and other packaged drinks are the main businesses Sushant is handling as a President of those regions.
Sushant has a wast experience of 20 years with Tata consumer products. He is mainly known for the growth of the tea business. Tata Consumer Products Ltd(TCPL) is one of the units of Tata Group under the food and beverages sector. To broaden its offering in the packaged food area, TCPL has acquired Kottaram Agro Foods.
What Top Tata Officials Say About the Current Transition?
Sunil D’Souza, MD & CEO, Tata Consumer Products Limited (TCPL) said, “Navin has made significant contributions to the Tata Starbucks business in India, stepping up expansion and enhancing the customer experience. Navin has been a great asset to the Company and we wish him success in his future endeavors. We remain committed to growing the Tata Starbucks business and brand and are happy to bring in Sushant, with his strong marketing, operational, and leadership experience to spearhead the next phase of growth.”
Starbucks Asia Pacific Head Sara Trilling said that the company recognizes Navin’s extraordinary efforts for the past growth. We are overwhelmed to welcome Sushant on board. His vast retail business experience will bring Starbucks to new heights. Starbucks will continue its India operations in long term.
