Starbucks’ chief sustainability officer, Marika McCauley Sine, and Chris McFarlane, who led its reusable packaging strategy, were among more than 300 employees whose jobs were cut in the coffee chain’s latest round of layoffs announced in mid-May, according to sources familiar with the matter who requested anonymity. The remaining corporate sustainability staff now report to Chief Social Impact Officer Kelly Goodejohn, a 20-year Starbucks veteran who has worked on coffee sourcing strategy and also oversees Starbucks’ foundation. Goodejohn previously handled social impact and supply chain matters at Nordstrom and Eddie Bauer. “We’re bringing sustainability and social impact under one leader because — in our coffeehouses and in coffee-growing communities — the work goes hand in hand,” a Starbucks spokesperson said. Since CEO Brian Niccol unveiled a broad financial turnaround plan in September 2024, Starbucks has eliminated about 2,300 corporate and administrative roles, with every cross-company support function affected during the past 18 months of downsizing. Former global coffee strategist Katie Herod said in a LinkedIn post that Starbucks’ central sustainability team and employees focused on ethical sourcing have been especially hard hit as the company puts profitability first. Herod, who lost her job in the latest cuts after 13 years, wrote, “At the time, there was no other company like it,” describing her experience. “A Fortune 500 company that lived its mission and values so overtly it almost felt like a cult. Leaders spoke openly about humanity, dignity, sustainability…”
Want more insights? Join Grow With Caliber - our career elevating newsletter and get our take on the future of work delivered weekly.
