Boston-based quick-service bubble tea chain Gong Cha has named three to its leadership team, the company announced Tuesday. They include Geoff Henry, the incoming Americas president, Kiki Jin, global chief marketing officer, and Pip McKenzie, general counsel.
“Gong Cha is thrilled to add this group of highly accomplished and incredibly knowledgeable professionals to the team,” says Paul Reynish, Gong Cha’s Global CEO. “These new team members bring with them a wealth of experience and deep expertise that will help fuel the brand’s exceptional growth trajectory.”
Henry, the former president of Jamba, also held a senior leadership role with Coca-Cola. He spent 12 years with Coca-Cola and before that served as an executive at Colgate, Dasani, Dunkin’ bottled coffee, Gold Peak tea and Honest Tea. At Gong Cha, Henry will focus on the brand’s momentum and U.S. growth.
Jin previously held a senior role at Kraft Heinz where she was responsible for the brand’s turnaround. She’s also held positions with Dove, Axe, Lipton, and Lux and will be responsible for “building meaningful brand purpose that drives positive social impact and put[ting] her creativity to work—spearheading marketing initiatives that reinforce brand equity and developing robust innovation pipelines to drive growth,” according to a release.
McKenzie previously served as head of legal for KFC, Yum! Brands Western Europe, as well as legal director for Unilever Europe’s Business Integrity, Litigation & Decentralized Businesses department.
According to a release from the company, Gong Cha is expected to achieve 40% year-over-year sales growth for 2023 and, by 2025, the brand is expected to reach 500 stores across the U.S.
