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Starbucks general counsel to leave as Schultz returns as CEO

April 05, 2022 at 06:08 pm EDT

(Reuters) -Starbucks Corp General Counsel Rachel Gonzalez was dismissed from her role as Howard Schultz returns to the chief executive position, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday.

Gonzalez will continue to serve as an adviser until she leaves the company on May 20, the filing said.

Gonzalez had reported to former CEO Kevin Johnson, who said in March he would retire as the coffee chain faces a growing unionization drive at some of its U.S. locations.

Returning to the CEO position for the third time, Schultz on Monday suspended billions of dollars of planned share buybacks, saying he could put the cash toward employees, stores and customers.

Starbucks shares closed down 4.5% at $84.12 after falling more than 3% on Monday.

When she leaves, Gonzalez will receive at least $7.5 million in severance, prorated bonuses, equity grants and other benefits, according to the filing.

(Reporting by Hilary Russ; Editing by Leslie Adler and Bill Berkrot)

By Hilary Russ

Howard Schultz

Mr. Howard D. Schultz is a Chairman-Emeritus at Starbucks Corp., a Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Starbucks Coffee Singapore Pte Ltd., a Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Starbucks Italy Srl and a Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer at Starbucks Coffee Australia Pty Ltd. He is on the Board of Directors at Pinkberry, Inc. and Starbucks Corp. Mr. Schultz was previously employed as a Co-Founder by Maveron LLC, a Co-Founder by Schultz Family Foundation, a Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer by IL Giornale Coffee Co., a Director-Retail Operations & Marketing by Starbucks Coffee Co., a Vice President & General Manager-United States by Hammarplast AB, and a Chairman by The Basketball Club of Seattle LLC. He also served on the board at Square, Inc., Groupon, Inc., DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. and Potbelly Sandwich Works LLC. He received his undergraduate degree from Northern Michigan University.

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STARBUCKS CORPORATION	Founder
Starbucks Coffee Singapore Pte Ltd. Starbucks Coffee Singapore Pte Ltd. RestaurantsConsumer Services Part of Starbucks Corp., Starbucks Coffee Singapore Pte Ltd. is a company that retails prepared foods and drinks. The company is based in Singapore, Singapore. The Singaporean company was founded in 1996. The CEO is Howard D. Schultz.	Chief Executive Officer