Starbucks Japan has promoted chief retail and marketing officer Hisae Morii to CEO, effective this April. She succeeds Takafumi Minaguchi who has been the company’s chief since 2014.

Morii joined Starbucks Coffee Japan as chief marketing officer in 2018 before being promoted to her current role in 2023. She previously held senior marketing roles at Unilever, including brand manager, VP of marketing for Thailand, and MD of its Japan division.

Commenting on her appointment, Morii acknowledged former CEO Mizuguchi and his contributions to the company.

“I hope to inherit their thoughts and build a new future with our customers, partners, and the local community,” she added.