Sushant Dash elevated as Tata Starbucks' CEO, takes over on May 1

Incumbent Navin Gurnaney steps down; Dash will be fourth CEO to manage chain's India biz since it first launched in Oct 2012

Tata Starbucks on Wednesday said that it was appointing Sushant Dash, president, packaged beverages at Tata Consumer Products, as the coffee chain’s new chief executive officer (CEO) in India. The appointment would be effective May 1.

The development follows the decision of incumbent Navin Gurnaney to step down from his position. Dash will take over as Tata Starbucks' CEO-designate from April 1.

Dash will be the fourth CEO to manage the chain’s India business since it first launched operations in October 2012 in a 50:50 joint venture with Tata Consumer Products. The chain currently operates over 215 stores across 17 cities.

Dash was part of the core team that opened the first Tata Starbucks store in the country and was directly responsible for the strategy and marketing of the Starbucks brand, the company said in a statement.

As president of the packaged beverages business at Tata Consumer Products, Dash is responsible for the India, Bangladesh and Middle Eastern markets. He oversees a range of packaged drinks and teas including Tata Tea, Tetley and Himalayan among others. Dash's replacement has not been announced yet at Tata Consumer Products. 

Gurnaney, on the other hand, was responsible for putting Starbucks on an accelerated path of growth in India, launching stores during the Covid-19 pandemic last year. He was preceded by Sumi Ghosh as the head of the coffee chain. While Avani Davda was the first CEO of the company in India.