This executive shift comes as part of new CEO Brian Niccol's strategy to revamp the company's branding efforts. Niccol, who joined Starbucks from Chipotle last month, emphasized the importance of improving the company's brand as one of his top priorities to revive the U.S. business.

In an open letter during his first week on the job, Niccol outlined his plan to address the decline in same-store sales Starbucks has experienced in the U.S. market over the past three quarters. According to Niccol, it’s essential to remind customers of Starbucks' coffee expertise and unique coffee-shop experience. He believes Lieberman, with her extensive background in brand building and marketing, is the right person to lead these efforts.

Lieberman brings a wealth of experience to her new role at Starbucks. She most recently served as the chief marketing officer for Yahoo and has an extensive history working with Niccol at Chipotle, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. She will begin her new position on November 4 and will report directly to Niccol.

In addition to Lieberman’s appointment, Starbucks has announced other significant changes. Dawn Clark, the executive creative director, and Angele Robinson-Gaylord, head of store development, will now report to Sara Trilling, the president of North America. Moreover, Starbucks is consolidating its global communications and corporate affairs departments into a single team.

These changes follow the retirement of Michael Conway, the company's former North America CEO, a position that has since been eliminated. Meanwhile, Sara Trilling, who now reports directly to Niccol, has taken on more responsibilities within the company.

Starbucks is also focusing on its struggling China market, where same-store sales fell by 14% last quarter due to economic challenges and competition from local coffee chains. Molly Liu has been named the sole CEO for the China division, following a previous co-leadership arrangement with Belinda Wong.

Niccol is expected to provide more details about his turnaround plans in the upcoming fiscal fourth-quarter earnings call on October 30.