Starbucks names Sharon Rothstein global CMOStarbucks names Sharon Rothstein global CMO

Starbucks Corp. has appointed Sharon Rothstein its next global chief marketing officer, the Seattle-based company said Monday.

Rothstein, who was previously senior vice president of marketing at cosmetics retailer Sephora, will step into her new role at Starbucks on April 15. She will report to Starbucks chair, president and chief executive Howard Schultz.

Schultz said Rothstein’s “forward-thinking brand sensibility and global cross-channel marketing expertise will continue to push us toward our aspiration of building one of the world’s most relevant, trusted and enduring brands.”

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The move brings back the global CMO role in a new way, following the announcement last May of a more decentralized leadership structure, with the appointment of presidents over certain regions around the world and plans to build marketing efforts at the regional level. At the time, former global CMO Annie Young-Scrivner was named executive vice president and president of Starbucks Canada.

A spokesman for Starbucks said Rothstein’s position will serve as a “global point of integration and amplification” across the various regions where the coffeehouse brand operates.

In addition to the primary Starbucks brand, Rothstein will steward the company’s emerging brand portfolio, including Seattle’s Best Coffee, Evolution Fresh, La Boulange, Tazo Tea and Teavana.

Rothstein, who described herself in a statement as a loyal Starbucks customer and fan for most of her adult life, authored Sephora’s new global brand positioning and worked on its image and multichannel integrated marketing campaigns.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
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