Starbucks’s North America chief steps down as the C-suite reset continues

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) announced that North America CEO Michael Conway has decided to retire after about 11 years at the coffee chain. Conway took over the role as North America CEO in April of this year.

The coffee chain giant will not backfill the role of North America CEO upon Conway’s retirement. Instead, the company’s North America retail operations head, Sarah Trilling, will report directly to new CEO Brian Niccol.

Niccol officially took over from Laxman Narasimhan earlier in the month. He made it clear in an open letter to employees what his priorities are in transforming the coffee chain. “We’re getting back to Starbucks,” he stated in a letter to employees. He wants the company to refocus on what has always set Starbucks apart — a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas. Niccol said that during his first 100 days he will spend time in stores and at the company’s Support Centers, meeting with key partners and suppliers, and working with his team to drive critical first steps. He said the key areas of focus that will have the biggest impact are empowering baristas to take care of customers, getting the morning daypart right, and reestablishing Starbucks as the community coffeehouse.

Shares of Starbucks (SBUX) were unchanged in premarket trading on Tuesday.