Starbucks Coffee Co. has announced the appointment of Annie Young-Scrivner to global chief marketing officer. She will be responsible for the global marketing and product strategy for the Starbucks brand.
Michelle Gass will serve in the newly created role of president, Seattle's Best Coffee (SBC), and will be accountable for building the SBC brand and accelerating its growth potential in the global specialty coffee category.
Additionally, John Culver, will assume the role of president, Global Consumer Products (CPG) and Foodservice, and will continue leading the global Starbucks CPG and Foodservice business units. All positions report to chairman, president and CEO Howard Schultz.
"As we move toward Starbucks' new fiscal year, now is the time to keep the positive momentum seen in our U.S. business and build on our global opportunities," Schultz said. "Moving SBC into a distinct and separate business unit will provide the focus necessary to enable SBC's full potential in the specialty coffee marketplace."
Young-Scrivner brings 20 years of global marketing-strategy experience to her role that she begins later this month. She most recently served as chief marketing officer and vice president of sales for Quaker Foods and Snacks, a division of PepsiCo. She was past chairman and region president of PepsiCo Foods for Greater China, and had a global consumer brand portfolio that included Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade.
Gass, who most recently served as executive vice president, Marketing and Category, will lead the new business unit of Seattle's Best Coffee. This includes the management of more than 550 specialty coffee cafes across the United States, the packaged coffee business in grocery channels and the foodservice business. She also will oversee SBC's expanded franchising program announced this past February.
Culver will work closely with Gass to ensure a smooth transition of SBC and continued integration with the other business units.
