Starbucks taps former Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer as COO

Rosalind Brewer has landed at Starbucks as its chief operating officer and group president where she will begin working Oct. 2. Brewer spent five years as CEO of Sam’s Club and was Wal-Mart Stores’ first black female to hold a major CEO role in the company. Prior to that she spent three decades in management roles for Walmart U.S. and Kimberly Clark.

Brewer parted ways with Wal-Mart Stores earlier this year. In her new role, Brewer will lead Starbucks’ business across the U.S., Canada and Latin America markets. She will also oversee supply chain, product innovation and store development, according to a news release.

“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, Starbucks president and CEO, said Wednesday (Sept, 6).

Brewer joined the Starbucks board of directors in January and Johnson said she has been a “trusted strategic counselor” for him since that time.

While Sam’s Club hit some snags under Brewer’s leadership, she is credited with bringing technology innovations to the business such as Scan & Go, which allows members to completely skip checkout lines. She also helped grow Sam’s Club’s online business during her tenure, boosting the retailer’s overall sales performance.

Starbucks is seen as a tech-savvy retailer in its own right, allowing customers to pre-order and pay for coffee, which is then delivered to them promptly when they arrive at the store.