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10 Starbucks legal leaders
These ten Starbucks legal leaders include the chief legal officer, a former general counsel, deputy general counsel, the general counsel for EMEA, and vice presidents and assistant general counsel for employment, compliance and China. A reader can learn how Starbucks legal leaders build and run their teams.
Professionals to explore
01—10Frank La Fontaine
LinkedInExperience: Vice President and Asst. General Counsel, Ethics & Compliance · Starbucks
Vice President and Asst. General Counsel, Ethics & Compliance at Starbucks since 2026. Former Senior Vice President, Global Compliance Counsel at TelevisaUnivision (2022–2026), and former Vice President, Senior Deputy General Counsel & Deputy Compliance Officer at Comcast (2019–2022).
Huma Allana van Reesch
LinkedInExperience: General Counsel, EMEA · Starbucks
General Counsel, EMEA at Starbucks since 2023, based in England. Former Regional Legal Director, Northern Europe, Australia and New Zealand Global e-Commerce at Reckitt (2013–2017) and former Associate Legal Director, EU Group & Supply Chain at Coca-Cola Enterprises (2012–2013).
Jason Gang Yu
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, China · Starbucks
Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, China at Starbucks since 2011, based in Shanghai. Former Vice President, Legal, Greater China Region (2010–2011) and Legal Director, Greater China Region (2007–2010) at Starbucks, and former Associate Counsel at O'Melveny & Myers LLP (1999–2006).
Joanie Kim
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Global Retail & Commercial · Starbucks
Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Global Retail & Commercial at Starbucks since 2024. Former Starbucks roles include Vice President, Assistant General Counsel - International and Licensing (2020–2024), Managing Director, Corporate Counsel - Strategy and Corporate Development (2019–2020) and Director, Expert Counsel - Corporate Development (2016–2019).
Kira Druyan
LinkedInExperience: SVP, Deputy General Counsel (Brand Integrity) and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer · Starbucks
SVP, Deputy General Counsel (Brand Integrity) and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at Starbucks since 2024. Former Chief Legal Officer at MOD Pizza (2019–2024), former General Counsel at Zume Inc. (2018–2019), and former Vice President at Starbucks (2007–2018).
Matthew Swaya
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Ethics and Complance Officer (Retired) · Starbucks
Former Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Ethics and Complance Officer (Retired) at Starbucks (1997–2018). Former Partner at Lane Powell (1990–1997), former Director Labor Relations at Pan American World Airways, Inc. (1988–1990), and former Labor Attorney at Westvaco Corporation (1987–1988).
Pilar Ramos
LinkedInExperience: Chief Legal Officer · Starbucks
Chief Legal Officer at Starbucks since 2025. Former General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at TelevisaUnivision (2022–2025) and Univision (2021–2022), and former Executive Vice President, General Counsel, North America (2015–2021) and Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy & Regulatory Counsel (2013–2014) at Mastercard.
Shelly Ranus
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Brand Integrity (Employment, Labor, Litigation) · Starbucks
Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Brand Integrity (Employment, Labor, Litigation) at Starbucks since 2024. Former Starbucks roles include Acting Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer and Vice President, AGC, Brand Protection (2023–2024) and Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Brand Protection (2021–2023).
Tyson M. Avery
LinkedInExperience: SVP, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer · Starbucks
Former SVP, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at Starbucks (2019–2023), with the profile describing work on the global ethics and compliance and data privacy departments. Now Deputy General Counsel, Compliance Officer at Lucid Motors since 2023, and former SVP, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at CBRE (2011–2019).
Zabrina Jenkins
LinkedInExperience: Executive Vice President General Counsel · Starbucks
Former Executive Vice President General Counsel at Starbucks (2022–2023), where the profile says she led global and regulatory affairs, global security and global ethics and compliance, including a 375-person team. Former Senior Vice President Deputy General Counsel at Starbucks (2020–2022) and Executive Advisor at Starbucks (2023–2026).
Choose the right perspective
Match the person to the part of the business your question touches: a retail and commercial deputy general counsel, an employment and litigation lead and a regional general counsel each see different problems. Ethics and compliance leaders are a better fit for questions about building compliance programs across many stores and countries.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How does a store-based company split legal work between retail operations, licensing and corporate functions?
- 02How do in-house employment and litigation teams handle a very large hourly workforce?
- 03How do regional legal teams balance local rules with a single global brand?
Reaching Starbucks legal leaders
How can I contact one of these Starbucks legal leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Starbucks, based on profile data retrieved on October 8, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Starbucks legal leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. It includes Instant Expert's 20% fee, so an offer that pays the person $100 costs you $125. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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