Chicago/New York — After turning Starbucks Corporation into the world’s largest coffee chain, CEO Howard Schultz will hand the reins to a lieutenant who could solidify its role as a technology company. Kevin Johnson, a 33-year veteran of the tech industry who became Starbucks’ chief operating officer last year, will take the helm from Schultz on April 3. The move is a nod to the company’s growing reputation for innovation: It introduced the world’s first successful mobile-payment service, beating out the likes of Apple and Google, and gets an increasingly large portion of its revenue from that source. Schultz will keep the role of executive chairman at Starbucks, focusing on the roll-out of its upscale Reserve brand. "I’m not leaving the company," Schultz said on a conference call after the change was announced on Thursday. "But Kevin and the team are in charge." Johnson, who joined the board in 2009, was tapped for the operating chief job after Troy Alstead went on sabbatical. John...
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