New Starbucks CEO Faces Immediate Challenge of Placating Workers

Laxman Narasimhan will take over as Starbucks Corp.’s chief executive officer with a long list of pressing tasks, from redesigning cafes to improving profitability. But perhaps none is as pressing as blunting a fast-spreading US union drive.

It’s a tall order -- especially for a leader without experience operating restaurants.

Laxman Narasimhan

Photographer: Guillermo Gutierrez/Bloomberg

Narasimhan, 55, is coming in from British consumer-goods company Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc, where as CEO he overhauled management and strategy to boost the flagging business. Narasimhan, who also held a top role at PepsiCo Inc., starts in October but doesn’t actually take over until April, ...