North American Head of Starbucks Steps Down

The head of Starbucks’ North American business is stepping down from her role at the Seattle coffee giant at the end of the month.

Rossann Williams, who joined Starbucks as a regional vice president, has been with the company for more than 17 years, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday (June 17).

In her current role, she had been one of the company’s key executives responsible for dealing with the growing unionization drive among its baristas. The Journal report says she will be replaced by Sara Trilling, who leads Starbucks’ operations in the Asia Pacific region.

Learn more: Starbucks Hires Exec to Address Union Effort

In April, Starbucks hired a new strategy chief to respond to the unionization efforts, a move CEO Howard Schultz called an “investment in Starbucks’ long-term evolution.”

The company has seen a wave of stores vote to unionize this year, with workers saying they want to secure better compensation and treatment, and gain a larger voice in Starbucks’ operations. Schultz told employees in April that he considers the chain a pro-worker company, and that it would not have grown the way it did had it been unionized.

See also: Starbucks CEO Johnson Retires; Schultz Returns for Third Time to Lead Chain

This year has seen the company’s former CEO, Kevin Johnson, depart after five years in the role, giving the reigns back to Schultz for his third time in the top job. Schultz spent 35 years at Starbucks, serving as chairman and CEO from 1987 to 2000 and chairman from 2000 to 2008, returning that same year, and passing the baton to Johnson in 2017.

Read more: Starbucks Shifts Focus From In-Store Experience to Digital Efficiency

PYMNTS reported last month that the company was shifting its focus from in-store operations to improving the efficiency of digital order fulfillment.

“Going forward, we will … be making significant investments to extend our digital capabilities and deepen our digital connection to customers and the emotional attachment our customers have to the Starbucks brand,” Schultz said on an earnings call. “Returns on our digital investments are consistently among the highest returns we generate.”