Just as he did in his early tenure with Chipotle, when he referred to the brand as “invisible,” new CEO Brian Niccol wants to retell Starbucks’ story. And he’s bringing in a familiar face to do so. The chain on Friday announced it’s bringing in Tressie Lieberman as global chief brand officer, effective November 4.
It’s a newly created role at Starbucks and similar to one Niccol implemented when he assumed the CEO helm at Chipotle in 2018. Lieberman worked as VP of digital marketing and off-premise at Chipotle under Niccol from 2018–2023 and also overlapped at Yum! Brands. Lieberman left Chipotle to become CMO of Yahoo.
Additionally, Starbucks announced Friday that Dawn Clark, its executive creative director, and Angele Robinson-Gaylor, the chain’s store development lead, will start reporting to president of North America Sara Trilling. Starbucks will combine its global communications and corporate affairs departments.
There have been other changes of late as well. Michael Conway, North America CEO, is set to retire (he was appointed to the role by former CEO Laxman Narasimhan). That position will be eliminated.
Starbucks made Molly Liu the CEO of its China efforts after she split the position with Belinda Wong.
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As for the story Starbucks plans to start sharing, Niccol outlined some of his plans in September when his run began. The high-level view will be to bring back Starbucks’ community coffee house identity, empower employees, and meet customer expectations, he said in a letter. The company plans to support Niccol’s vision with investments in technology that help customers, workers, supply chain, and off-premises platforms.
He added Starbucks “drifted from our core” and customer-employee relationships became too transactional, with an overwhelming menu, inconsistent products, and long wait times.
“I’m making a commitment: We’re getting back to Starbucks,” Niccol said in the letter. “We’re refocusing on what has always set Starbucks apart—a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas. This is our enduring identity. We will innovate from here.”
More recently, according to the Wall Street Journal, Starbucks said it would step back from discounts and promotions and return to premium coffee positioning as it works to focus on unique beverages and a return the “third-place.”
Starbucks’ U.S. transactions fell 7 percent in Q2 and same-store sales dropped 3 percent, whicb marked the company’s worst performance outside of the pandemic or Great Recession and a
much different look from October 2023 when traffic was positive. In Q3, comps fell 2 percent, including a 6 percent slide in traffic and a 4 percent rise in average ticket.
“Starbucks is a brand people love,” Niccol said in a Friday statement. “It’s time to tell our story again and reintroduce Starbucks to the world. Tressie is the perfect person to help us do that. She has a proven track record of building strong brands, developing compelling products, creating great customer experiences, and leading breakthrough marketing.”