Dive Brief:
- Camille Hymes will join Smoothie King as chief operating officer on June 5, the brand announced Wednesday.
- Hymes comes to Smoothie King from Starbucks, where she worked as corporate VP for strategic partnerships, partner experience and community impact from February 2021 onwards, according to her LinkedIn.
- Smoothie King has been searching for a COO since Playa Bowls announced it was hiring Smoothie King’s COO Dan Harmon to serve as CEO in April. Smoothie King has filled at least four c-suite roles since last July, when the company added a chief development officer to support its unit growth plans.
Dive Insight:
Smoothie King’s expansion plans include 100 new units in 2023, according to the press release announcing Hymes’ hiring, and the brand opened 30 units in Q1. To support this growth rate, Smoothie King added 160 units to its development pipeline last year.
Late last year, Smoothie King hired Marianne Radley as chief marketing officer and Juan Salas as chief information officer, and promoted Laura Scavone to chief people officer. These major c-suite moves could prepare the brand for further expansion.
Smoothie King highlighted Hymes’ experience with Starbucks, where she helped direct corporate social responsibility and employee well-being. Starbucks regularly touts its social responsibility and employee benefits, though the company has faced criticism from federal agencies and workers, as well as shareholder concern, over its treatment of unionizing workers. Smoothie King did not respond to a request for comment on Hymes’ role in Starbucks’ employee relations.
Prior to working at Starbucks, Hymes worked at Jack in the Box, where she helped the company as it transitioned from primarily company-owned to primarily franchised. She also worked as a regional manager for ExxonMobil.
