Diversity & Inclusion

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Co. is shaking up its senior management team with five promotions and two new appointments. John Culver, head of the China-Asia Pacific region with more than 10 years of Starbucks experience, is being promoted to group president, China and Asia Pacific (CAP), channel development and emerging brands. Jeff Hansberry, a three-year Starbucks veteran who has worked on the channel development and emerging brands team, is being promoted to president of China and Asia Pacific and will report to Culver.

Walmart’s commitment earlier this year to hire 100,000 veterans over the next five years prompted the USO to award Walmart U.S. COO Gisel Ruiz its 2013 Woman of the Year Distinguished Service Award.

Ruiz was presented with the award at the USO’s 47th annual luncheon where she said the honor was humbling and a surprise.

Los Angeles – Guess Inc. is appointing Sharleen Ernster Lazear as chief design officer. Lazear will oversee all product categories for the Guess and Marciano brands and report to CEO Paul Marciano.

She previously served in senior merchandising and design roles for Victoria’s Secret for 13 years, most recently as executive VP of design.

NEW YORK — Macy’s will honor contributions made by Asian-Pacific Americans during Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month this May at select Macy’s locations nationwide. 

The retailer will host the platinum-selling recording group Far East Movement for a series of performances and appearances in six markets across the country geared toward highlighting and celebrating the unique influence of Asian-Pacific Americans on American culture and pop music.

LOS ANGELES — Guess has appointed former Victoria’s Secret executive Sharleen Ernster Lazear as chief design officer, overseeing all product categories for the Guess brands. She will report to CEO Paul Marciano. 

Columbus, Ohio -- Discount retailer Big Lots has named David Campisi, 57, as CEO and president of Big Lots, effective May 6. The 30-year-industry veteran most recently served as chairman and CEO of Respect Your Universe, a publicly traded company focused on premium performance apparel and equipment. Prior to that, he was an executive with The Sports Authority for nearly seven years, rising to become chairman and CEO.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark announced that it was among several national companies represented at an event hosted on Tuesday by President Obama, VP Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden as part of the Joining Forces initiative.

During the event, the administration asked companies participating in the Joining Forces initiative to hire and train 435,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years, after nearly tripling its original goal of hiring 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013.

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group announced that it has named Liz Zale as senior VP in a newly created role overseeing corporate affairs and communications, effective May 1.  

Zale's responsibilities will include supervision of Simon’s investor relations, public relations, corporate communications, and government relations functions.
 
She previously served as senior VP investor relations for Nielsen Holdings.

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General and Procter & Gamble are teaming up to honor a Florida mom as its official Every Day Hero for the month of May.

New York -- The CEO of Best Buy, Hubert Joly, earned compensation worth $19.6 million in his five months on the job in 2012, the Associated Press reported.  

Joly, a turnaround expert, took the reins of the chain in September. Former CEO Brian Dunn left in April when a board investigation found that Dunn violated company policy by having a "close personal relationship" with a female staffer. Board member Mike Mikan, one of Best Buy’s board members, served as temporary CEO before Joly was hired.