Starbucks North America CEO retires after five months in the role

The chief executive of Starbucks North America, Michael Conway, has decided to retire and he will not be replaced, the coffee giant said Monday.

Starbucks said on its website that Conway, who assumed the role of North America CEO in April, will stay with the company through the end of November as an executive adviser before his official departure after 11 years at the firm.

News of Conway's exit comes roughly a month after Starbucks ousted Laxman Narasimhan as CEO, replacing him with former Chipotle chief Brian Niccol. Niccol officially took over as Starbucks CEO on Sept. 9.

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Niccol said in an open letter that he would initially focus on ensuring the U.S. stores deliver drinks and food on time, as well as re-establishing the coffeehouse culture at its outlets.

Starbucks will not backfill the role of North America CEO upon Conway's retirement, and the company's North America retail operations head, Sarah Trilling, would report directly to Niccol.

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Prior to becoming North America CEO, Conway was the group president of Starbucks' international and channel development.

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He also served as the president of the company's Canada business, as well as its licensed stores segment for the U.S. and Latin America, among other roles.

Reuters contributed to this report.