Chobani taps Thomas Ranese as CMO

Yogurt brand Chobani has named Thomas Ranese as its CMO, the company announced Tuesday.

Ranese will report to Chobani president and COO Kevin Burns and work closely with founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya. 

He replaces Meredith Madden, who left Chobani in February for a general manager position at plant-based food company NotCo.

Ranese is currently finishing out his role as interim CMO at Abbott, where he formed a marketing team and developed plans for Lingo, a bio-wearables and health tech product. He will start at Chobani on August 14.

"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,” said Burns in a press release. “His tech background working in disruptive businesses will help us connect with more consumers and drive impact for our customers across channels."

Ranese’s appointment at Chobani follows a string of successful tenures as a marketing executive for a range of brands. 

As Uber’s global CMO, he doubled growth for Uber Eats and maintained the brand’s reputation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While at Google, he launched Google Pixel and led the rebranding of parent company Alphabet. He also served as the first CMO of New York State.

"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," said Ranese in a press release. "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’s remit will include generating excitement for Chobani’s expanding line of products; a representative for the company did not respond to an inquiry for more details on his responsibilities.