NEW BERLIN, N.Y. — Chobani, a next generation food and beverage company originally known for its Greek yogurt, has named Thomas Ranese as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Ranese joins the Chobani executive leadership team from Abbott having previously served in marketing leadership roles at Uber and Google.
“Building an innovative, disruptive brand that means something to our consumers is a journey we set out on from our earliest days,” said Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya. “The name ‘Chobani’ stands for something better – better ingredients, better quality, better nutrition and a better way of doing business. We wanted to ensure we had the right transformative leader to shepherd our brand in the next phase of our growth and evolution and found that in Thomas. He has a passion to make a difference for humanity and believes in our mission of good food for all. We are excited to welcome him to the Chobani family.”
Kevin Burns, Chobani President and Chief Operations Officer, added: “Thomas brings a unique combination of creativity and business acumen with deep expertise in brand building, digital strategy and integrated marketing that will be critical as we continue to innovate, scale our brand and drive growth in new categories. His tech background working in disruptive businesses will help us connect with more consumers and drive impact for our customers across channels.”
Ranese has been a senior marketing leader with some of the most innovative and culturally formative tech companies. As Global CMO at Uber, he transformed marketing into a global, integrated function as well as drove growth for Uber Eats with measurable business results and led social impact efforts to build trust during COVID. Ranese previously spent a decade at Google where he launched the Google Pixel and online Google Store and led the rebranding of Google’s parent company to Alphabet. Ranese was also the first CMO for the State of New York revitalizing the famed I LOVE NY campaign to drive economic development upstate.
“I have long admired Chobani, a brand with unrivaled products, unwavering sense of purpose and loyal consumer following – in a space I have loved since growing up working in my dad’s food business,” shared Ranese. “I am excited to share Chobani’s story and expanding set of products with more people to drive growth for the business and further impact the communities Chobani touches.”
Ranese will begin on August 14th and report to Kevin Burns, working closely with Chobani’s founder and CEO, Hamdi Ulukaya.
ABOUT CHOBANI
Chobani is a food maker with a mission of making high-quality and nutritious food accessible to more people, while elevating our communities and making the world a healthier place. In short: making good food for all. In support of this mission, Chobani is a values-driven, people-first, food-and-wellness-focused company, and has been since its founding in 2005 by Hamdi Ulukaya, an immigrant to the U.S. The company manufactures yogurt, oatmilk, and dairy- and plant-based creamers – Chobani yogurt is America’s No.1 yogurt brand, made with natural ingredients without artificial preservatives.
Chobani uses food as a force for good in the world – putting humanity first in everything it does. The company’s philanthropic efforts prioritize giving back to its communities and beyond: working to eradicate child hunger, supporting immigrants, refugees and underrepresented people, honoring veterans, and protecting the planet. Chobani products are manufactured in New York, Idaho, and Australia. Products are available throughout North America and distributed in Australia and other select markets. For more information, please visit www.chobani.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
