As Costa Coffee features a transgender person with mastectomy scars, who is their Chief Exec and who owns it?

If you happen to be on Elon Musk’s X this morning, you might have seen that #BoycottCostaCoffee is currently trending. This relates to a photograph that was shared on social media, showing a transgender person with mastectomy scars, that is part of a mural on a Costa Express van.

The Times reported that “Costa Coffee said that the design was a snapshot of a wider mural created to celebrate diversity and inclusion, and was created last year to celebrate Pride month, which is typically held in June.”

A spokesperson for the company said: “At Costa Coffee, we celebrate the diversity of our customers, team members and partners.” A spokesperson went on to say that “The mural, in its entirety, showcases and celebrates inclusivity.”

One person wrote on Twitter that it is “Absolutely disgraceful” followed by the hashtag #BoycottCostaCoffee, whilst another said: “I had many happy memories of visiting Costa with my late father and would buy from you regularly after his passing… no more,” and used the same hashtag. 

Philippe Schaillee was appointed the new CEO of Costa Coffee in February of this year and his role became effective on 10 April 2023. Before he joined Costa Coffee, he was executive vice president of Groupe SEB and was in charge of Products and Innovation. 

At the time of his appointment, Philippe said that “I have long admired Costa and appreciate the company’s deep history and heritage.” The former CEO Of Costa was Jill McDonald. 

In 2019, The Coca-Cola Company announced that it had completed the acquisition of Costa from Whitbread PLC. The Coca-Cola company said that “The $4.9 billion transaction follows approval from regulatory authorities in the European Union and China.” 

James Quincey, CEO of The Coca-Cola Company said at the time about the acquisition “We see great opportunities for value creation through the combination of Cosa’s capabilities and Coca-Cola’s marketing expertise and global reach.”