Seattle / WA. (sc) Starbucks Corporation announced that Mary Dillon, CEO of Ulta Beauty was elected to the Starbucks Board of Directors on January 04 and she will serve on the Board’s Compensation and Management Development Committee. Dillon brings three decades of experience leading consumer-driven brands to build brand engagement and drive profitable growth.
«Mary shares our desire to deliver shareholder value while embracing the values and guiding principles that serve our people, our customers, and the neighbourhoods where we do business, and we are honoured to have her join the Starbucks Board of Directors», said Howard Schultz, chairman and ceo. «Mary’s proven track record for leveraging consumer insights and customer-focused strategies together with her leadership and passion for excellence make her the ideal addition to contribute to our next phase of growth as a company».
Since Dillon took the helm of Ulta Beauty in June 2013, the company has achieved record sales and earnings. Dillon led Ulta Beauty to 21 percent top-line growth and comparable sales growth of nearly ten percent for fiscal year 2014. Ulta Beauty currently operates 875 stores in 48 states and a thriving e-commerce business making it the nation’s largest specialty beauty retailer. Dillon is responsible for an employee base of more than 22’000 full- and part-time employees, 92 percent of whom are women. In the last two years, Dillon has added 5’380 new jobs, an increase of 30 percent.
«I am delighted to join the Starbucks Board of Directors», said Dillon. «Starbucks and Ulta Beauty share many attributes: incredibly passionate customers, compelling loyalty programs, exciting growth strategies that put the customer at the center of all we do, and tremendous care for our people. I look forward to working with Howard Schultz, the Starbucks Board and leadership team to contribute to the future success of this great company».
Prior to joining Ulta Beauty, Dillon served as president and CEO of U.S. Cellular. During her tenure, U.S. Cellular expanded its product and service offerings and strengthened new channels of distribution, while maintaining industry-leading customer satisfaction levels. Dillon previously served as global chief marketing officer and executive vice president for McDonald’s Corporation, where she led the company’s worldwide marketing efforts and global brand strategy, including a focus on children’s well-being initiatives. Prior to that, she served as president of PepsiCo’s Quaker Foods division.
Starbucks also announced the upcoming retirement of Board member lden Lee, retired executive of PepsiCo, immediately prior to Starbucks 2016 Annual Meeting in March. Lee has served on the Starbucks Board of Directors since 2003.
