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Heavy! The founder of Starbucks withdrew and the former hostess of CCTV took the lead.

Published: 2026-02-01 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/02/01, ▲ Click follow | Daily boutique Coffee Culture Magazine Coffee Workshop according to the US Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) local time on the 13th, Starbucks founder and honorary chairman Howard Schultz (HowardSchultz) resigned from the company's board of directors. According to reports, Starbucks announced

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According to the US Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) reported on the 13th local time, Starbucks founder and honorary chairman Howard Schultz (Howard Schultz) resigned the board of directors.

According to reports, Starbucks announced that Starbucks founder and former CEO (CEO) Howard Schultz resigned from the company's board of directors from the same day, officially retiring. The new director is elected by Zhang Wei, former president of Alibaba Pictures, effective from October 1.

"my gratitude to Starbucks' millions of partners and customers is immeasurable," Schultz said in a statement. "looking back on my 41 years on the job, I had the privilege of starting a wonderful journey from the grass-roots level of the company. As honorary chairman, I look forward to supporting this generation of directors in the future. I will be a loyal customer, supporter and advocate of Starbucks. "

Schultz says he will shift his focus to family life when he retires. At the same time, he and his wife Sheri will run Schultz's family foundation in the future, working with entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations to promote innovation and expand employment, aimed at helping everyone realize their dreams.

In the 1970s, Starbucks was just a small company selling coffee beans, and under the leadership of Schultz, he insisted on building Starbucks stores into a "third space" and successfully put them on the highway of development. During Schultz's five years at the helm of Starbucks from 1987 to 1992, Starbucks grew from 9 stores to more than 160 stores, with sales of $57 million, gradually becoming a national coffee chain and successfully listed on NASDAQ in 1992.

Today, Starbucks is the world's largest coffee chain, with more than 36000 stores in the world, including more than 6500 in China.

Founder Howard Schultz is reported to have served as Starbucks CEO three times, twice from 1986 to 2000 and from 2008 to 2017, before returning as chief executive in 2022, but resigned in March this year.

In response, Starbucks said the change was part of an excessive plan, but Schultz, 70, did not give him specific reasons for leaving. As Howard Schultz, the former CEO who built Starbucks, steps down as director, he will be awarded the title of lifelong honorary chairman of Starbucks in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Starbucks.

In addition, the announcement also revealed that the new director Zhang Wei has more than 10 years of experience in leading Alibaba's international business and media strategy. Before joining Ali, Zhang Wei also worked for News Corp., CNBC, Bain and General Electric. She currently sits on the board of Ralph Lauren, an American luxury goods company. And, according to Red Star News, when he was a part-time host of CCTV's "Dialogue" program many years ago, he communicated with Masayoshi son, Kaifu Lee and other figures.

CNN reported that Zhang Wei's appointment as chairman also indicates that Starbucks has high hopes for the Chinese market. The media also pointed out that Zhang Wei has working experience in China, which is Starbucks' second largest market and is crucial to the company's development prospects.

In May this year, current Starbucks CEO Nasheim stressed during his first visit to the Chinese market that Starbucks has set a goal of opening 9000 stores by 2025 and will continue to invest in the Chinese market, which will become Starbucks' largest market in the world in the future. He believes that there is still huge room for growth in China's coffee market.

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