Starbucks Coffee Company has appointed Matthew Ryan as global chief strategy officer. Ryan was previously senior vice president of global brand, franchise and customer relationship management for The Walt Disney Company.
Starbucks Chairman, President and CEO Howard Schultz said Ryan’s approach to customer analytics, market segmentation and brand optimization will bring a new level of insight and imagination to Starbucks and our significant brand ambitions.
Ryan will report to Schultz and serve on Starbucks senior leadership team. He will lead Starbucks long-term strategic planning process; improve the monetization of Starbucks retail, channel and emerging brands; and strengthen the company’s fast-growing customer relationship management and loyalty capabilities. Starbucks global customer insights and strategy teams will report to Ryan.
Starbucks new chief strategy officer will also serve on the company’s Global Brand Leadership Team responsible for integrating the company’s regional brand and marketing initiatives.
Ryan will partner with Starbucks recently appointed global chief marketing officer, Sharon Rothstein, to bring enhanced customer insights and analytics to the company’s brand expression and customer experience.
He graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in history and literature. He will start in May and will be based in Seattle at the Starbucks Support Center.