AUSTIN, Texas (Sept. 6, 2016) – Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) today welcomes three new global vice presidents. Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Global Vice President of Marketing, Martin Tracey, Global Vice President of Team Member Services, and Brooke Buchanan, Global Vice President of Communications, joined their respective teams today.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sonya, Martin and Brooke to our senior leadership team,” said Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. “They are accomplished leaders who bring deep retail and consumer experience, valuable perspective on both internal and external communications strategy and will play an integral role in supporting the company’s culture of innovation and team member empowerment as we continue to grow and evolve.”
Sonya Gafsi Oblisk
As Global Vice President of Marketing, Sonya Gafsi Oblisk will lead the company’s marketing, advertising and brand development efforts, including digital, brand marketing and customer relationship strategies. Oblisk brings more than 15 years of experience in retail, consumer products and affinity marketing, including an eight-year tenure at Wal-Mart where she most recently served as Vice President of Marketing for Sam’s Club.
Martin Tracey
As Global Vice President of Team Member Services (HR), Martin Tracey will have strategic responsibilities for the end-to-end team member experience including recruitment, compensation and benefits, talent analytics, learning and development and payroll operations for more than 87,000 team members. In his most recent role at Starbucks, Tracey was responsible for leadership development, talent analytics, and organizational development as Chief Talent Officer and Vice President of People Development.
Brooke Buchanan
As Global Vice President of Communications, Brooke Buchanan will lead Whole Foods Market’s public relations, internal communications and government affairs efforts. Buchanan has previously served as Vice President of Communications for Theranos, Vice President of Public Relations for Williams-Sonoma and held multiple senior positions at Wal-Mart. Prior to her corporate experience, she spent over eight years in political and government communications.
The new vice presidents are based at the company’s headquarters in Austin, Texas.
