Starbucks’ $113 Million Deal Puts Niccol Among Top-Paid CEOs (1)

The chief executive officer switch atop Starbucks Corp. is poised to cost the coffee chain at least $120 million, and possibly more, as the board bets on a change of leadership to turn the business around.

Brian Niccol will start next month with a pay package worth $113 million, a large part of which is equity to replace awards from his prior employer that he’ll have to relinquish, according to filings.

The package will likely make him one of the highest-paid CEOs in the US, but the change led to an instant return in terms of the company’s stock price. ...