Starbucks Executive, Pitt Alum Jeffery Hansberry To Speak at Pitt April 4

Starbucks Coffee Company executive and University of Pittsburgh alumnus Jeffery Hansberry (A&S ‘86, BUS ’89G) will give a talk at 5 p.m. April 4 titled “Starbucks Channel Development: Building a Blueprint for Growth,” drawing upon his experience as Starbucks’ president of channel development and emerging brands. The free public lecture will take place in Conference Room A of Pitt’s University Club; it will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a reception.

Hansberry, an alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, will deliver the lecture as the 2013 featured speaker of the Thought Leaders in Business forum, presented by Pitt’s Katz School and College of Business Administration.

In his position at Starbucks, Hansberry leads efforts to increase the leading coffee company’s distribution through consumer packaged goods, aiming to grow the company’s retail presence through food service, licensing, and franchising. He also oversees Seattle’s Best Coffee, working to build the company’s relationship with current and future customers with a goal of transforming it into a billion-dollar brand.

Hansberry joined Starbucks in June 2010 as president of global consumer products and food service. In this role, he introduced a number of new brands and products to markets around the world, including packaged and ready-to-drink coffees, ice cream, chocolate, and Tazo® teas and drinks.

Prior to joining Starbucks, Hansberry served as vice president and general manager for E.&J. Gallo Winery, where he was responsible for leading the company’s flagship popular-priced-brand portfolio. Before that, he spent 17 years at Procter & Gamble, holding leadership positions in sales, marketing, and general management both in the United States and abroad. 

At Pitt, Hansberry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and the Master of Business Administration degree. He is a member of the Pitt Alumni Association Emerging Leader Program and of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society.