Retail Coffee Giant Starbucks Confirms Sustainability Executive Succession: 5 Things to Know

Starbucks has hired Mars veteran Marika McCauley Sine to succeed Michael Kobori as chief sustainability officer, McCauley Sine confirmed via LinkedIn.

Here are five things to know about the Starbucks business and sustainability strategy, and McCauley Sine's executive experience.

1. Business Scope and Scale: Starbucks, founded in 1971, is based in Seattle, Washington. The coffee store operator now has roughly 29,000 retail locations. But growth and store complexity have become major business challenges. The evidence: Revenue was $6.69 billion in Q4 of 2024, down 3% from $6.9 billion in Q4 of 2023. Moreover, same store sales fell 9% in the quarter.

2. CEO Transition: In a bid to simplify Starbucks' menu and improve the overall customer experience, the company hired Chipotle Mexican Grill veteran Brian Niccol as CEO in September 2024.

3. Sustainability Strategy: Starbucks is striving to cut its climate, water and waste footprints in half by 2030, compared to a fiscal year 2019 baseline. Moreover, the company expects 100% of Starbucks customer packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2030.

4. New Chief Sustainability Officer - Professional Experience: McCauley Sine previously was chief sustainability officer for Mars Petcare since May 2020. Earlier, she held VP and director positions at the company. McCauley Sine also held key posts at The Coca-Cola Company.

McCauley Sine succeeds former CSO Michael Kobori. who aligned his retirement plan with the end of 2025.

5. Executive Perspectives: In a statement posted on LinkedIn, McCauley Sine in mid-November 2024 wrote: " I am thrilled to share that I will soon be taking on a new role as global Chief Sustainability Officer at Starbucks. It will be an honor to lead sustainability for such an impactful business and beloved brand, in collaboration with talented partners and community members around the world. I am inspired to help advance the Starbucks legacy of doing business with humanity and fostering connection, opportunity, and joy through exceptional coffee."

She also looked back on her time at Mars, stating: "As I reflect on the ten wonderful years I’ve spent at Mars, I feel deep gratitude for the varied experiences, extensive learning, and close relationships with so many outstanding colleagues. I hope that the strong foundations we’ve laid together will enable even greater sustainability success in the years ahead, and will continue to help deliver on the powerful Mars purpose and Principles. I will be cheering you all on from afar!"

Chief Sustainability Officers: Why Technology Partners Should Care

By 2027, 25% of Global 2000 companies will have assigned a chief sustainability officer (CSO) responsible for meeting their organization’s ESG goals and making ESG-related IT purchasing decisions, according to IDC.

The bottom line: Technology partners need to extend their sales, marketing, engagement and support strategies to successfully fulfill those CSO customer needs, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.