SEATTLE, Aug 25 (The Economist) - From day one, Starbucks' incoming CEO Brian Niccol will have more power than his predecessor.

Niccol, who is leaving Chipotle Mexican Grill, will become CEO and chairman the moment he joins Starbucks on September 9. By contrast, Laxman Narasimhan spent more than five months as the CEO-in-training under company patriarch Howard Schultz and he never took on the board chairman position. Only after an intense period of shadowing Schultz did he gain the ability to set the company's strategy.

The vastly different handovers underscore the two executives' contrasting resumes-Narasimhan had no restaurant experience while Niccol has spent 20 years as a leader at Chipotle and Yum! Brands.

What's more, Narasimhan joined a company still helmed by Schultz, who set aggressive sales growth targets before handing over the reins. Schultz continued to provide feedback during Narasimhan's tenure, both privately and in public missives on LinkedIn. As problems piled up after Schultz's departure, Narasimhan was forced to cut the company's financial forecasts three times in less than a year.

Niccol steps into a job where sales targets are lower, his title carries more weight, and the shadow of Schultz-while not entirely gone-has diminished.

He "definitely has more authority, and I think that's by design," said Eric Gonzalez, an analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets. "His track record speaks for himself. So that just shows you the confidence that they have in him."

Starbucks is fighting off slumping demand from inflation-battered customers in its biggest markets, the US and China. It's working to cut long wait times at overwhelmed stores. And it faces activist investors, contract negotiations with unionised workers and boycotts about the brand's perceived stance in the Middle East.

Those who have worked with Niccol say he's up to the challenge. They say he's a decisive, down-to-earth leader with a track record of stabilising troubled businesses-and then turning them around. His experience has reassured Starbucks investors, though he'll need to win over workers sceptical of how Chipotle responded to a unionisation drive during his tenure.

Niccol will undergo what the company calls an "immersion" process that includes learning the culture and history, spending time in stores and manufacturing facilities, and more, according to a Starbucks spokesperson. But he'll have the authority to immediately start guiding strategy.

Starbucks is paying up for his experience. Niccol's compensation package is worth around $113 million, and he won't be required to move to Seattle, though the company says that's where he'll spend most of his time.

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