Starbucks CEO earns $31 mn in 2025, including $5 mn bonus, $20 mn in stocks

By Redd Brown

 

Starbucks Corp. Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol total compensation was $31 million in fiscal 2025, a decline from the previous year when he received stock rewards and other incentives as part of a package to lure him over from Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. 

Niccol’s 2025 pay includes a $5 million bonus and nearly $20 million in stock awards, according to a filing from the coffee chain on Monday. The stock awards will be based in part on company performance. In fiscal 2024, Niccol’s compensation was $96 million, the filing shows, and included a stock award of more than $90 million. 

 

Niccol, who took the helm of Starbucks in September of 2024, was awarded one of the largest pay packages among executives at the time. He’s looking to reinvigorate growth at the massive restaurant operator, which has tens of thousands of locations across 80 countries. His plan, dubbed “Back to Starbucks,” has started to show some results, but he has yet to fully convince investors. 

 

The turnaround plan has so far aimed at improving customer service, reducing menu complexity and making cafes more inviting with softer light and seating, all in a bid to revive the “third-place” concept Starbucks was known for.

 

Starbucks stock slumped 7.7% in 2025, the fourth consecutive annual decline. Niccol’s pay package for the fiscal year was limited by the shares’ decline, which caused him to miss out on performance-based compensation. 

 

Last quarter, the company posted comparable sales growth for the first time in a year and a half, driven by strong results in its international operations. 

 

The company is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings on Wednesday morning, followed by an investor presentation on Thursday where analysts expect the company to offer financial targets for the first time since Niccol became CEO.