Beth Ford
STARBUCKSAbout Beth Ford
Beth Ford (age 60) is an independent director of Starbucks, serving since 2023. She is President and Chief Executive Officer of Land O’Lakes, Inc., a Fortune 200 farmer‑owned agribusiness cooperative; her 37‑year career spans six industries with deep supply chain and sustainability credentials, including induction into the Supply Chain Hall of Fame (2022) and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Iowa State University (2022) . At Starbucks, Ford chairs the Environmental, Partner, and Community Impact Committee (“Impact Committee”) and sits on the Compensation and Management Development Committee (“Compensation Committee”) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees / Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land O’Lakes, Inc. | President & CEO | CEO since 2018; joined 2011 | Leads a global farmer‑owned cooperative operating Dairy Foods, Purina Animal Nutrition, WinField United, Truterra; advocate for farmers/rural America; convener, American Connection Project |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PACCAR, Inc. | Director | 2015–2022 | Public company directorship (past) |
| BlackRock, Inc. | Director | 2021–2022 | Public company directorship (past) |
| Business Roundtable | Director (board member) | Not disclosed | Policy leadership role |
| Columbia Business School – Deming Center | Advisory Board | Not disclosed | Academic advisory role |
| American Connection Project | Convener | Not disclosed | Rural broadband/human capital advocacy |
Board Governance
- Independence and roles
- Determined independent under Nasdaq; all nominees except the CEO are independent .
- Current committees: Chair, Impact Committee; Member, Compensation Committee; Served on Audit Committee until March 2024 .
- Attendance and engagement
- FY2024: Board held 16 meetings; each incumbent director attended at least 75% of board and committee meetings during their service; all directors then on the board attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Committee scope and cadence
- Impact Committee (6 meetings in FY2024): oversees environmental/social strategy, labor relations, partner health & safety, data privacy, and annual Impact Report review—central to unionization and human rights oversight .
- Compensation Committee (5 meetings in FY2024): oversees CEO/NEO pay, human capital management, succession, peer groups; members meet heightened independence standards; no interlocks disclosed .
- Audit Committee (10 meetings in FY2024): Ford served until March 2024 (financial literacy and oversight context) .
Fixed Compensation
| Element (Non‑Employee Director Program, 2024 Plan Year) | Amount | Form / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual retainer | $130,000 | Cash or fully‑vested RSUs at director’s election |
| Annual equity award | $180,000 | Fully‑vested RSUs (immediate vest) |
| Committee chair fee (Impact, Comp, Nominating) | $20,000 | Cash or RSUs at election; Audit Chair $30,000 |
| Lead Independent Director add’l retainer | $185,000 | Cash or RSUs at election |
| Meeting fees / perqs | None | No meeting fees; no perquisites |
| Beth Ford – FY2024 Director Compensation | Cash Fees ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Options ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual paid (proxy table) | — | 336,746 | — | 336,746 |
Notes:
- Directors may defer RSUs into DSUs under the Deferred Compensation Plan .
Performance Compensation
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Performance‑based awards for directors | None; director equity is time‑based and fully vested at grant |
| Deferral program | Eligible to defer RSUs into DSUs; flexible tax planning for directors |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed |
| Past public company boards | PACCAR (2015–2022); BlackRock (2021–2022) |
| Potential interlocks / related parties | BlackRock currently owns ~6.9% of SBUX (78,750,491 shares) but Ford no longer serves on BlackRock’s board (ended 2022) . No related‑person transactions involving Ford disclosed in FY2024 . |
| Compensation Committee interlocks | None; committee states no interlocks or insider participation requiring disclosure |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Skills matrix indicates Ford brings brand marketing, corporate social responsibility, diversity, environmental/climate, government/public policy, human capital, consumer/retail industry, international, technology, public board, and senior leadership experience to SBUX .
- Operational and supply chain leadership across multiple industries; agribusiness and climate transition perspective relevant to sourcing, food safety, and partner health/safety—aligned with Impact Committee remit .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares | Options | RSUs | Deferred Stock Units | Total Beneficial Ownership | % of Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beth Ford | — | — | — | 7,030 | 7,030 | * (<1%) |
Ownership alignment and policies:
- Director ownership guideline: 5x annual retainer ($650,000); all current non‑employee directors are in compliance or on track within five years; DSUs count toward the guideline .
- Hedging/pledging: Prohibited by insider trading policy; no current executive officer or director (or immediate family) has pledged SBUX shares .
Governance Assessment
- Positive signals
- Independence and committee leadership: Independent director; chairs the Impact Committee overseeing labor relations, human rights, sustainability, and data privacy—key risk and reputation drivers amid organizing and ESG scrutiny .
- Pay oversight strength: Compensation Committee member with independent consultant (Pay Governance) and robust no‑gross‑up, clawback, double‑trigger CIC, and anti‑repricing policies—shareholder‑friendly structures .
- Engagement and cadence: Committee meeting intensity (Impact: 6; Comp: 5) plus board‑level 16 meetings and executive sessions demonstrate active oversight; independent directors (including committee chairs) engaged with investors representing 42% of shares in FY2024 .
- Ownership alignment: Elected to receive compensation entirely in equity in FY2024 and holds DSUs; guidelines target a meaningful ownership stake .
- Watch items / potential conflicts
- External CEO role at Land O’Lakes (major dairy co‑op) could represent a potential supplier adjacency; however, Starbucks disclosed no related‑person transactions involving Ford and affirmed her independence under Nasdaq rules . Continue monitoring for any disclosed commercial ties.
- Time demands: Impact Committee chair plus Compensation Committee member; no current public overboarding concerns; Starbucks overboarding policy in place to limit external commitments .
Overall, Ford’s operational supply‑chain expertise and ESG governance focus as Impact Committee chair align with Starbucks’ key human capital, sourcing, and sustainability risks, while independence, equity‑heavy director pay, and no related‑party ties support investor confidence .