When Brian Niccol, a Miami University alum from the class of ’96 and CEO of Chipotle, returned to Miami to deliver last spring’s commencement speech, it wasn’t just a trip down memory lane. Instead, he acknowledged the people and advice that helped him discover his true path.
On Aug. 13, Starbucks announced Niccol would be stepping down from his current position to become its new CEO, starting Sept. 9. The surprise announcement followed two consecutive quarters of declining sales for the national coffee chain.
Niccol took over as CEO of Chipotle in 2018 at the brink of a food contamination crisis. Under his leadership, the company’s revenue nearly doubled, profits increased sevenfold and its stock price soared by 800%, according to the press release.
Although Niccol graduated with a degree in applied science and engineering management, he credited his experience at Miami, particularly the business electives he took, as instrumental in becoming who he is today.
“I came to Miami thinking I would go into engineering,” Niccol said during his commencement speech. “The combination of some engineering work experience and the Miami Plan made me realize this was not what I wanted to do.”
During his speech, he highlighted the impact of a marketing class with Senior Lecturer Jan Taylor, who encouraged him to explore brand management and marketing.
Taylor taught Principles of Marketing at the time and said she remembers having Niccol as a student and that his recent move to Starbucks CEO didn’t surprise her. She brought up a particular memory of him presenting with his fraternity brothers to the class.
“I will never forget this presentation because I walked into the room and they were all dressed alike,” Taylor said. “They all had on khaki pants, blue blazers, white shirts, and yellow ties, and I almost thought I was walking into a Temptations concert where they were all going to line up and dance.”
Taylor said she attributes Niccol’s success to his analytical mindset, strategic thinking and willingness to take risks.
“I love that at their ages … they understood that there’s an audience there and that they had to not just present to me, they wanted to engage that audience,” Taylor said.
During his time at Miami, Niccol became a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and visited its headquarters last spring.
Niko McDonald, a senior majoring in finance and the current president of Phi Delta Theta said he and his fraternity brothers were thrilled when they found out Niccol was visiting and transitioning to Starbucks.
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“It was a big surprise to all of us that he was [becoming] the Starbucks CEO, which ultimately is a way bigger position than Chipotle,” McDonald said. “Most people don’t realize that Starbucks has 33,000 more stores than Chipotle. So ultimately, it’s a huge upgrade.”
McDonald said Niccol embodies the sound learning and friendship pillars that Phi Delta Theta teaches and has maintained connections with the fraternity.
Brian Niccol visited the Phi Delta Theta headquarters on May 18 after his commencement speech
“It’s a huge inspiration to all current and future members of the fraternity,” McDonald said. “It shows that Miami is really a special place and it breeds special people.”
Kirk Bogard, Farmer School of Business (FSB) associate vice president for development and external relations, stated in an email to The Miami Student that the business school offers students from all majors the opportunity to learn business skills through programs like Miami Prime, a summer program that introduces non-business majors to business concepts.
“Miami’s liberal education base provides students with an excellent foundation for success,” Bogard wrote. “Currently there are 14 Miami grads, from a variety of majors, who are the CEOs of Fortune 1,000 companies.”
Farmer also has many cross-divisional programs, such as the entrepreneurship co-major, where a majority of students are non-business majors, Bogard said. Other examples include engineering students’ ability to take some of Miami’s MBA classes and the climate accounting and engineering minor.
Taylor said she believes Miami’s educational foundation equips students with the skills they need to take on roles like Niccol’s at Starbucks.
“I think a lot of companies don’t understand how good we are,” Taylor said.
She added that many companies hire college graduates because of what they can teach them, not what they know, but that Miami’s curriculum ensures students have the hard skills and experience companies are looking for.
“We just have some of the best students ever,” Taylor said. “I think overall at Miami, we’re underappreciated at times, and that’s OK. We’ll show you.”
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