John Culver is president of Starbucks Coffee China and Asia Pacific. In this role, John provides overall leadership to Starbucks company-operated markets in China, Australia, Singapore and Thailand, as well as the company’s entry into India. He is also responsible for growing and developing Starbucks joint-venture and licensed operations in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines and South Korea.
Previously, John served Starbucks as president, Starbucks Coffee International (SCI), where he led teams responsible for the overall management, business development and operations of Starbucks in all markets outside the U.S. Through his passionate leadership of SCI, he and his team created a strong foundation that helped fuel Starbucks international growth.
John joined Starbucks in August 2002 as vice president and general manager, Foodservice, responsible for leading sales, marketing and operations. His focus on building brand awareness in traditional foodservice venues included positioning the Starbucks “We Proudly Brew,” Seattle’s Best Coffee “Serving the Best” and Torrefazione Italia “Featuring Torrefazione Italia” brands. John and his team worked to increase the presence of the Starbucks brand with key U.S. customers and to ensure that our quality standards were maintained in over 15,000 foodservice accounts. He was later promoted to president, Global Consumer Products and Foodservice, leading the strategy to support Starbucks growth and expansion of consumer product offerings worldwide, including packaged coffee, ready-to-drink coffee, ice cream and Tazo® teas and drinks.
From 2007 to 2009, John held the role of president, Starbucks Coffee Asia Pacific, responsible for cultivating the Starbucks Experience for all Starbucks company-operated, joint venture and licensed markets within the Asia Pacific region. Under his leadership, Starbucks brand presence continued to expand rapidly across the region, which consists of the Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia and New Zealand markets.
Before joining Starbucks, John was Vice President, Sales for Nestlé USA where he was responsible for foodservice sales and the development of more than 30 brands. Prior to Nestlé, John held various management positions within Houlihan’s Restaurants.
John has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from Florida State University. He recently served on the Board of Directors for the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) as a member and as treasurer. He has also served on the Advisory Board for the Pacific Northwest Hospitality Industry, supporting City of Hope.
