Starbucks
Duncan is president of Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), responsible for bringing the Starbucks experience to more than 40 countries in over 3,500 stores. Accountable for the strategy, growth and operations across this diverse and complex region, Duncan combines a values-led leadership approach with a strong focus on strategy and performance.
Duncan’s broad leadership experience spans multiple cultures, product categories and business models. Prior to this role, he was president, Global Channel Development, leading the Starbucks Consumer Packaged Goods, Foodservice and Ready-to Drink (RTD) business globally. He successfully established the Global Coffee Alliance with Nestlé, bringing Starbucks premium packaged coffee and tea products to consumers around the world, including the Nespresso and Dolce Gusto platforms. He and his team also led the growth and development of Starbucks global RTD partnerships, including the Pepsi North America Coffee Partnership, Teavana Iced Tea and Evolution Fresh businesses.
Before joining Starbucks in January 2015, Duncan spent more than eight years with Johnson & Johnson in several key leadership positions, including Vice President EMEA and International Vice President for McNeil Nutritionals. Prior to Johnson & Johnson, he spent 14 years with Unilever in a variety of marketing and business leadership roles, including the integration of Best Foods brands. Duncan also lived in Milan, Italy, leading the Unilever culinary business which included the development and geographic expansion of the Bertolli brand.
Duncan holds a Bachelor of Arts with honors from Leicester University, England, and completed the executive development program at Wharton Business School. As an ambassador for the charity Send A Cow, Duncan is a passionate supporter of their work in rural Africa. He lives in London with his wife, Kathy. Their two children have just completed their undergraduate and master’s degrees, one in the UK and the other in Sydney, Australia. Duncan is an avid sports fan and food enthusiast.
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Starbucks
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Starbucks ethically sources and roasts high-quality arabica coffee. They are known as the leading roaster and retailer of specialty coffee globally. Starbucks purchases, roasts, and serves award-winning coffee to its millions of customers. Their food and beverage offerings include Italian-style espresso beverages, cold blended beverages, seasonal drinks, hot breakfast, lunch, snacks, a bakery, and premium teas. Additionally, they sell merchandise like tumblrs and mugs as well as gift cards for special occasions. In some stores around the world, they sell alcoholic drinks. In everything they do, they always live by their mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time. Founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker, Starbucks began as a single store front in Pike Place Market. Originally, they sourced their beans from Peet's Coffee & Tea. Eventually, Alfred Peet stopped supplying his own beans and began to train a new Roastmaster for the company. Following this transition, they sold the company in the 1980's to Howard Schultz who had Italian Coffeehouse aspirations. Originally a coffee bean store, Howard set out to make Starbucks an espresso-based coffeeshop and led much of the expansion of the franchise. With shifts in leadership over time, a decade was spent growing market share and defining corporate social responsibility. Starbucks went on acquire several operations as part of their strategy such as Seattle's Best Coffee, Torrefazione Italia, and The Coffee Connection. Today, Starbucks operates in the US, Canada, UK, Europe, and Asia with about 32,000 stores worldwide.