Starbucks has hired Tressie Lieberman, former Yahoo CMO, as the new EVP, global chief brand officer.
In the newly created role, Lieberman will be tasked with leading a rebrand for the QSR, which has been losing sales this year. Lieberman will be reporting to Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, whom she worked for when he was CEO of Chipotle and she was vice president of digital marketing at the chain.
“My time at Yahoo has been a dream. Leading an incredible team, activating creatively in B2B, driving product growth, getting back in culture, and setting the brand up for the future has been an experience I will always cherish,” she wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“Just as I completed my first year of building, an unexpected opportunity presented itself – one that I knew was right for my family and me,” she continued. “We will be moving from Orange County to Seattle as I step into the exciting role of global chief brand officer at Starbucks. It is a true privilege to take a brand I love and admire into its next chapter, and I can’t wait to join the team next month.”
As part of the rebrand, Niccol said he plans to scale back discounts through its mobile app in a move to reposition the company as a premium brand. The CEO has also revealed plans to focus on the in store experiences to drive younger traffic into the store.