Narasimhan worked for McKinsey for 19 years until 2012, rising to director and location manager for their New Delhi office.[6] In 2012, he joined PepsiCo, rising to chief commercial officer.[6]
Narasimhan succeeded Rakesh Kapoor as CEO of Reckitt Benckiser in September 2019,[7][8] formulating a turnaround plan which was intended to rejuvenate the company "following a series of missteps and lacklustre growth that marked the final years of his predecessor".[9] In September 2022 the company unexpectedly announced his resignation, explaining that he had "decided for personal and family reasons to relocate back to the United States and has been approached for an opportunity that enables him to live there."[10]
In September 2022, Starbucks announced that Narasimhan would become the company's next CEO.[2] He succeeded Howard Schultz, who had been interim CEO since Kevin Johnson resigned in March 2022.[3][11] Prior to Narasimhan taking over as CEO, he trained as a barista for six months to learn what changes needed to be made.[12][13] The New York Times has described Narasimhan as less resistant to Starbucks unionization than Schultz.[14]
In 2023, Narasimhan's total compensation from Starbucks was $14.6 million, or 1,028 times the median employee pay at Starbucks for that year.[15]
In August 2024, Starbucks announced that Narasimhan would leave the company effective immediately, and was replaced by Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol.[16]
Narasimhan made headlines for saying he never works past 6 pm.[17]
^ ab"Starbucks Names Laxman Narasimhan as Next Chief Executive Officer". Starbucks Stories. Starbucks Corporation. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022. Starbucks [...] today announced that Laxman Narasimhan will become the company's next chief executive officer and a member of the Starbucks Board of Directors.
^"Laxman Narasimhan steps down as CEO". Reckitt. Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022. Reckitt Benckiser Group plc ("Reckitt") today announces that its CEO, Laxman Narasimhan will step down as Chief Executive Officer on September 30, 2022. Laxman has decided for personal and family reasons to relocate back to the United States and has been approached for an opportunity that enables him to live there.