Latin America & the Caribbean Communications

Lead earned media strategy and brand positioning, crisis & issues management, and partner (employee) & executive communications for Starbucks Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) business, supporting 24 markets, 10 licensed business partners, over 1,600 stores, and nearly 23,000 green apron partners (employees). Highlights include:

• Driving amplification of Starbucks major milestones across the following pillars:
  • Business Growth:
    • Developed and executed earned media strategy for Starbucks expansion to two new markets — Guyana (April 2023) and Paraguay (May 2023) — as well as 11 city entries across the region, including Salvador and Belo Horizonte in Brazil; Antofagasta and Puerto Montt in Chile; Barranquilla and Cartagena in Colombia; Punta Cana in Dominican Republic; Antigua in Guatemala; Hatillo in Puerto Rico; Cordoba in Panama; and Punta del Este in Uruguay.
    • Commemorated the 20th anniversary of retail operations in LAC (coordinating celebrations in the first two markets, Mexico and Puerto Rico) and spearheaded the opening of Starbucks 1,500th store in LAC at a UNESCO World Heritage site in Antigua, Guatemala. Media highlights include and executive interview in Bloomberg Linea and feature in Architectural Digest.
    • Led the opening of Starbucks first Greener Store opening in Santiago Chile (June 2022), in an effort to reduce Starbucks carbon, waste, and water usage by 50% by 2030. Media highlights include an executive interview in Economía Sustentable. Since then, Starbucks has certified more than 90 stores across 16 markets in LAC with standout coverage from America Retail, Web Retail LATAM, La Republica (Colombia), Business Insider Mexico (Mexico), and Gestión (Peru).
  • Customer Experience:
    • Led press for all seasonal campaigns in LAC and spark beverage activations for Halloween (Frappula Frappuccino) and Valentine’s Day (Love Bonbon Frappuccino) in 2022 and 2023.
    • Supported communications for Netflix content partnership launch in 2022, with promotions including the Stranger Frappuccino and a Cobra Kai-themed coffee vs. tea beverage tournament.
    • Launched Stars for Everyone program in Mexico, rolled out UberEats partnership in Chile, and promoted Brazil’s campaigns for Starbucks Rewards members.
    • Supported PR for a range of plant-based menu launches in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile.
  • Coffee Leadership: 
    • Launched Starbucks Peru Mujeres de Junin across 20 LAC markets and storytelling highlighting the importance of women in coffee (June 2023).
    • Piloted Colombia’s Together for Coffee whole bean coffee program (June 2023) and enhanced partnership with the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (April 2022) to support local coffee growers.
    • Drove press for 9th annual Todos Sembramos Cafe program in Mexico and 2nd annual Todos Somos Cafe in Peru (June 2023).
    • Supported local PR for Starbucks & ASU’s sustainability and innovation lab at Hacienda Alsacia announcement including Forbes Centroamerica coverage.
  • Partner Experience:
    • Advanced Starbucks commitment to partner development by leading the launch of Starbucks Global Academy for LAC, including the Spanish-language rollout of the Greener Apron course.
    • Led earned media and internal promotion for Starbucks 7th annual LAC Barista Championship at Hacienda Alsacia in Costa Rica where 21 national champions competed for the regional title and Camila from Argentina took home the crown.
    • Supported press for key inclusion & diversity initiatives including Brazil’s “I Am” campaign supporting transgender partners and Chile’s recognition by the Human Rights Campaign for creating an LGBT+ inclusive workplace.
  • Launching Starbucks Stories Latin America English-language website as well as press centers in Spanish and Portuguese.
  • Drafting executive communications for president of LAC, including monthly Workplace posts and quarterly business updates.
  • Rolling out the Brewed in LAC: From Cafecito to Cafezinho monthly e-newsletter in January 2022 to share regional highlights with LAC partners and licensee leadership. The e-newsletter is distributed to over 200 partners.
  • Providing strategic counsel and issues support to 10 licensed business partners.
  • Enhancing Public Affairs capabilities by hosting monthly capacity building call and furnishing communications toolkits and fact sheets/key messages for key regional initiatives.

International Communications 

Spearhead Public Affairs integration in 80+ markets across Starbucks International business and serve as communications lead for flagship Social Impact, Partner Experience, and Inclusion & Diversity initiatives.

• • Launched Global Community Impact Grants initiative in March 2022. To date, The Starbucks Foundation has awarded over USD7 million in grants to over 120 nonprofit organizations across nearly 50 markets. Work closely with Starbucks licensed business partners to encourage nominations, communicate successful grants, and amplify impact.
  • Coordinated communications strategy and market activations for Starbucks international volunteering initiatives, including Global Month of Good in April 2023, where nearly 20,000 partners volunteered over 58,000 hours supporting more than 1,300 nonprofit organizations around the world.
  • Led international rollout of Starbucks new Mission and brand Promises in April 2023, including working across geographies to coordinate translations for 40+ languages.
  • Communications lead for I&D-related global moments, including International Women’s Day and Pride Month. In 2023, coordinated international contributions to Starbucks “Women in Coffee” storytelling campaign profiling 12 Starbucks women from across the globe who are leading the way in coffee.

Global Channel Development Communications (2021-23)

Drove communications for Starbucks At-Home Coffee, Ready-to-Drink, and Foodservice channels for over 80 global markets.

• • Coordinated press for all product launches (ex-US, Canada), including the Fall, Holiday, Spring and Summer seasonal campaigns.
  • Planned and executed ceremony for 100 Million Frappuccino bottles sold in China with Master Kong and Starbucks senior leadership (December 2021).
  • Coordinated global launch of Nespresso and Starbucks Remix Blend in the United Kingdom and US (April 2023).
  • Led PR for Ready-to-Drink launches in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Korea (2022-2023).
  • Expanded We Proudly Serve Starbucks program in Turkey and Thailand (2022).
  • Launched Foodservice business in Chile and Korea.

Coached and managed a team of 3 that oversaw the following functions across 9 markets in Asia Pacific (“APAC”) serving ~10,000 regional staff:

Community Affairs

Led all “Giving Back” initiatives, including grantmaking, corporate volunteering, employee giving, and disaster relief:

• • Managed the firm’s community grantmaking program with a focus on children’s health and education. Brought Morgan Stanley’s Healthy Cities program to Mumbai’s Malwani slum in 2016; managed all Asia projects for the firm’s Feeding Kids Around the Clock campaign (an annual 24-hour initiative started in 2017 to combat childhood hunger); coordinated the COVID-19 Hunger Relief employee donation campaign in 2020.
  • Coordinated APAC employee volunteering initiatives:
    • Led region to record-breaking 99% employee participation rate in 14^th annual Global Volunteer Month in 2019 (up from 50% participation in 2014) by planning over 760 volunteer projects with 210 charity partners. In 2020, organized Week of Kindness remote volunteering initiative during COVID-19.
    • Launched Change Makers skills-based volunteering initiative in 2018, organizing 200+ pro bono projects to date.
    • Administered the firm’s Volunteer Incentive Program, with more than 140 grants given to charities where employees volunteer regularly or serve on boards since 2015.
  • Chaired APAC Philanthropy Committee and facilitated regional employee fundraising initiatives, including charity walkathons/races (Australia, China, India, Singapore) and the Morgan Stanley Directors’ Choir (Hong Kong). Named Top Corporate Fundraiser in Hong Kong’s Operation Santa Claus Campaign (2016-19), raising over US$2.8 million for nearly 100 local charities since 2015.
  • Organized disaster relief campaigns, including recent efforts for COVID-19 and the Australia bushfire crisis.

Sustainability

Spearheaded APAC initiatives to advance environmental awareness:

• • Chaired the APAC Employee Sustainability Forum and organized the firm’s annual Sustainability Month campaign with over 120 events executed since 2015. Programs ranged from habitat cleanups to e-waste collection drives to talks on impact ESG, impact investing and more.
  • Coordinated the Morgan Stanley-Kellogg Sustainable Investing Challenge in Hong Kong (2016, 2019)
  • Partnered with Corporate Services to reduce office waste and promote sustainable habits amongst employees. Launched a 10-point Sustainability at Work plan in 2019 with a focus of minimizing the firm’s carbon footprint.
  • Managed partnerships with environmental charities and academic institutions, including projects reducing plastic straw consumption (Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, 2019); analyzing microplastic levels in Hong Kong waters (HKU & Plastic Free Seas, 2018); and mapping Lantau Island biodiversity (The Nature Conservancy, 2016-17).

Internal Communications

Devised creative ways to engage and inspire employees:

• • Composed articles on regional business accolades, community/DE&I programs, and employee events for Morgan Stanley’s Intranet, with over 300 stories published since 2015. Articles are rooted in the firm’s five core values.
  • Reviewed/moderated all firmwide communications for APAC (including emails, posters, digital signage) and crafted messaging to share key firm initiatives and help employees navigate critical events (e.g. COVID-19, natural disasters).
  • Partnered with business units to promote thought leadership and firm wins through creative storytelling.
  • Planned town hall events with senior management and coordinated executive office communications, including videos, memos, speeches, and talking points for Asia Pacific Co-CEOs and global Management Committee members.
  • Arranged annual employee recognition initiatives (“Firm Value Awards,” “Long Service Awards”) and office anniversary campaigns.

Marketing

Promoted and protected Morgan Stanley’s brand:

• • Managed social media strategy and content for APAC, with over 550 posts published across the firm’s accounts since 2015. This includes live coverage of our flagship client events and key community campaigns.
  • Coordinated digital and print advertisements and reviewed collateral featuring the Morgan Stanley brand.
  • Oversaw the firm’s regional sponsorships, including collaborations with UCCA Center for Contemporary Art (Picasso – Birth of a Genius, 2019), The Australian Ballet (China Tour, 2018), Asia Society Hong Kong Center (LOVE Long: Robert Indiana & Asia, 2018), and the China Film Directors’ Guild Awards (2017-18).

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Led communications for DE&I and the firm’s Employee Networking Groups:

Major Gifts

Cultivated relationships with donors and secured major gifts, raising over US$17 million since 2011. Promoted to Senior Manager with one direct report in July 2014 after facilitating US$12.8 million transformative gift to enhance HK arts.

Program & Exhibition Underwriting

Developed program proposals and negotiated sponsorships across the fields of business, policy, arts, and education with over US$5 million generated from 20 corporate sponsors, including speaker series funded by J.P. Morgan and KPMG, and exhibitions supported by BAML, MetLife, The HK Jockey Club Charities Trust, UBS and The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation.

Special Events

Managed large- and small-scale fundraising events in HK, crafting sponsorship tiers and executing marketing strategies. Increased profits by 8% for May 2014 Asia Society Art Gala during Art Basel Hong Kong, with over US$2.3 million generated from special events from 2011-15.

Membership

Oversaw recruitment efforts for the corporate membership program, with a 22% increase in revenue from 2012. Launched Corporate Connection Night, a quarterly networking night for professionals.

Marketing & Communications

Collaborated with PR firms on key messaging for special events and assisted HK Executive Director in publishing Heritage Revealed, Asia Society HK Center’s first book.

Other

Assisted senior leadership in successfully launching the multi-million-dollar HK Center at a former heritage site in 2012 and raising over US$1 million for grand opening celebration. Kickstarted Donor Wall Project for Center opening and created naming opportunities booklet.

Coordinated seasonal fundraising events – including Tuscan Garden Holiday Gala and spring fundraiser Neptune Ball – and grant writing for Snug Harbor education programs.

Supervised community outreach program, planning annual Lunar New Year Party for Staten Island.

Instructed 200 English majors in written and oral English, designing syllabi and all forms of assessment.

Established student-written Yangpu Voice newspaper and coached students at national English speech contest.