London, England, United Kingdom, July 2026 — Costa Coffee has appointed Jez Langhorn as Chief People Officer, effective 30 June, marking a significant addition to its executive leadership team. In his new role, Jez will lead Costa Coffee’s Global People function, with responsibility for strengthening the organization’s culture, leadership capability, talent strategy, and overall business performance as the company continues its international growth journey.
Jez joins Costa Coffee with more than two decades of global human resources leadership experience across some of the world’s most recognized consumer brands. He will be responsible for driving Costa Coffee’s global people agenda, focusing on building an inclusive, high-performing culture while supporting business transformation, leadership development, and employee engagement across its worldwide operations.
Prior to joining Costa Coffee, Jez served as Senior Vice President – HR North America at Starbucks, where he led strategic HR initiatives for one of the company’s largest markets. Before Starbucks, he was Chief Human Resources Officer at Global Partners LP, overseeing enterprise-wide people strategy, organizational effectiveness, leadership development, and talent initiatives.
Jez spent more than 17 years with McDonald’s, where he held several senior global leadership positions. As Corporate Vice President, Center HR, he led human resources across McDonald’s Foundational Markets in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Japan while also overseeing HR for global corporate functions and business transformation initiatives. Earlier, as Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer for the UK & Northern Europe, he successfully led employer branding, executive talent management, education, learning and development, customer service, and people technology across six countries. Throughout his McDonald’s career, he was instrumental in launching award-winning employee engagement initiatives, digital HR transformation programs, apprenticeship schemes, and employer reputation strategies that significantly strengthened the company’s people agenda.
Jez is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD), having earned his Fellowship in 2008. His combination of global HR leadership, organizational transformation expertise, and people-first approach positions him well to lead Costa Coffee’s global workforce as the company continues to expand its presence and strengthen its culture worldwide.
About Costa Coffee
Founded in 1971, Costa Coffee is one of the world’s leading coffee brands and has been part of The Coca-Cola Company since 2019. Operating in more than 50 countries, Costa Coffee serves customers through its coffee shops, Ready-to-Drink beverages, Costa Express self-serve machines, At Home products, and strategic global partnerships.
Driven by its values of Discipline, Passion, Warmth, Courage, and Trust, Costa Coffee is committed to creating exceptional coffee experiences while investing in its people, communities, sustainability initiatives, and innovation. The company continues to build an inclusive workplace where employees can thrive while delivering memorable experiences to millions of customers around the world.
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