Starbucks Australia appoints Gelatissimo boss Braeden Lord as new CEO

Starbucks currently operates 72 stores in Australia with a further 45 sites in development | Photo credit: Erik Mclean

Starbucks Australia has appointed Non-Executive Director Braeden Lord as its new CEO, effective 25 November 2024. 
 

Lord, who has sat on Starbucks Australia’s Board of Directors since 2015, has served as CEO of 50-store Sydney-based ice cream parlour chain Gelatissimo since April 2022.  

His other senior management roles include Director of International Development at bakery-café chain Baker’s Delight, CEO of online grocery platform Aussie Farmers Direct and General Manager of Retail Operations for convenience store chain 7-Eleven Australia. 

Lord will succeed Chris Garlick, who has served as Starbucks Australia CEO since 2014 and is poised to take over as CEO of Australian restaurant franchise group Retail Zoo. 

Seattle-based Starbucks entered Australia in 2000 with an outlet in Hyde Park, Sydney. The coffee chain scaled to 80 stores before closing two-thirds of its sites in 2008 after significant losses.  

However, Starbucks Australia has turned a corner in recent years – posting its first annual profit in 2023 and accelerating outlet growth plans in the second half of 2024, including expansion to western states for the first time. 

Starbucks Australia achieved 35% year-on-year revenue growth in the 12 months ending 31 June 2023 to reach AU$157.3m ($105m), alongside a profit of AU$3.15m ($2.1m). 

Since being acquired by Victoria-based The Withers Group in 2014, Starbucks Australia has scaled from 24 to 72 stores. The coffee chain currently has a further 45 sites in development – including its first outlets in Perth.