Who is Rosalind Brewer, the first female COO of Starbucks?

Starbuck’s has named Rosalind Brewer as the new COO and group president of the company. 

The former president and CEO of Sam’s Club will become the first woman and the first African-American to hold the position at Starbucks.

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Brewer said: “As a passionate customer of the brand and recently elected board member, I have a deep love and admiration for the Starbucks brand and its people. 

I am so honoured to have the pleasure of working with the Starbucks leadership team to realize our highest of aspirations for the company and I look forward to working closely with the astute and talented leaders across the enterprise.”

Brewer joined Starbucks in March as part of the 14-member of the board of directors.

She served in several executive leadership positions at Walmart and is a former Sam’s Club CEO and president, where she became the first woman and African-American to lead a division of the Walmart brand.

Brewer will now lead the Starbuck’s operating businesses across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America, as well as the global functions of the supply chain, product innovation, and store development organizations.

“Starbucks is a culture-first company focused on performance and Roz is a world class operator and executive who embodies the values of Starbucks,” Kevin Johnson, Starbuck’s President and CEO, said.

“She has been a trusted strategic counsellor to me ever since she joined our board of directors, and I deeply value her insight, business acumen, and leadership expertise. Roz is the right leader to help us realize our greatest of ambitions in this next chapter of our journey.” 

“I am honoured that Roz is joining Starbucks in this capacity and playing an important role with an accomplished team of senior leaders that reflects the strength and diversity of our organization.”  

Brewer was recognised by Forbes as one of "The World's Most Powerful Women in 2016. She will take on the role of COO and group resident on 2 October 2017.