New Starbucks CEO: Pune native set to guide espresso big, alma mater brewing with satisfaction

Since morning, Mohit Gundencha  — the CEO of Jombay and a member of the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) Alumni Association — is having a tough time protecting tab of the flood of messages in his numerous COEP-related WhatsApp teams.

This was however anticipated as Laxman Narasimhan, an alumni of COEP, was elevated as the brand new CEO of worldwide espresso chain Starbucks, and previous and current college students of the affiliation took to numerous media to rejoice it. Gundecha has a private connection as he has interacted with Narasimhan a number of occasions prior to now. Gundecha stated he discovered the highest government each humble and sharp.

Narasimhan, who will take cost at Starbucks in October, has his roots in Pune and accomplished his diploma in mechanical engineering from COEP in 1988. Born in Pune, he was a scholar of St Vincent’s School and, based on Gundecha, his affiliation with COEP stays sturdy.

“Last year, as member of the alumni association, I had invited him for a virtual interaction with us. He replied to my email within a day and asked his office to set up the necessary details for the same,” Gundecha stated, including that Narasimhan talked about his journey and shared suggestions with college students through the session.

Even earlier than this, Gundecha — who, after his diploma in COEP, went to Stanford University to finish his increased schooling — had interacted with Narasimhan. His journey from Pune to the CEO of Starbucks, Gundecha stated, is an inspiration and a residing testomony for large desires and taking danger. “He talked about how he traveled to Mumbai multiple times to get a scholarship for Wharton. Also, when he was posted in Mexico to head PepsiCo, he took to learning Spanish to understand the market better,” the Jombay CEO added.

A cricket lover, Narasimhan had famous throughout his interplay how he had attended a number of matches at Lords, which is close to his dwelling in London. The incoming CEO of Starbucks additionally had stated he’s an ardent fan of rock music. Narasimhan, Gundecha identified, was a giant believer within the India story and has a really particular fondness for COEP. “Our college attracts the best of talents — it is a testament to its success,” he additional stated.

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Professor Mukul S Sutaone, officiating director, COEP, was amongst a number of workers and college students of the establishment to congratulate Narasimhan. “With 168 years of legacy in producing quality engineers, COEP Tech has a rich alumni base that has significantly contributed in the nation-building process. Alumni like Prof Thomas Kailath, Prof CKN Patel, Dr Vijay Kelkar, Late Mr BG Shirke, Mrs Lila Poonawala, Dr Sanjay Dhande, Prof Ramesh Raskar, Dr Mahantesh Hiremath, Mr Laxman Narasimhan are few among those stalwart alumni of COEP who served our country and the mankind in many ways and the alumni have a lion’s share in the infrastructural development of the country. The list is endless, and we pay our tribute to each of our distinguished alumni who have done COEP proud. The alumni of the institute have done exceedingly well in all spheres of life at both national and international levels and brought name and fame not only for themselves but also to their alma mater. COEP takes pride in their achievements. Mr Laxman Narasimhan, our alumnus of 1988 batch of mechanical engineering, has indeed bought a great honour to his alma mater and the institute indeed takes great pride on his humongous achievements. We wish him all the best for all his future endeavors,” Sutaone stated.