S

ara Kelly, executive vice president and chief partner officer for Starbucks, has been with the coffee chain her entire career.S

he held a number of different HR roles with Starbucks before being appointed CPO in 2022, and says those where she worked directly with retail employees helped shape how she approaches her role today.F

or about a decade, “I worked alongside our retail stores, supporting our retail stores, which was the best way to really get a full appreciation and understanding for Starbucks,” she said. Kelly described a “flywheel” between employee experience, customer experience, and shareholder returns that initially drew he

r to