AUSTIN, TX – Looking to use deep industry experience to boost its retail, consumer goods, and brand identity on a global level, Whole Foods Market has announced three new vice presidents to its team.

Sonya Gafsi Oblisk joins Whole Foods as Global Vice President of Marketing, Martin Tracey as its Global Vice President of Team Member Services, and Brooke Buchanan to serve as Global Vice President of Communications. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Sonya, Martin, and Brooke to our senior leadership team,” said Walter Robb, Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. “They are accomplished leaders who bring deep retail and consumer experience, valuable perspective on both internal and external communications strategy and will play an integral role in supporting the company’s culture of innovation and team member empowerment as we continue to grow and evolve.” 

Bringing over 15 years of experience to the Whole Foods team, Sonya Gafsi Oblisk will focus on leading marketing, advertising, and brand development efforts in her duties as Global Vice President of Marketing. These efforts will include the following:

• Digital
• Brand marketing
• Consumer relationship strategies

Oblisk’s experience spans consumer products and affinity marketing in retail, including eight years spent with Walmart. Most recently, Oblisk served as Vice President of Marketing for Sam’s Club. 

Stepping into her new role as Global Vice President of Communications, Brooke Buchanan comes to Whole Foods with several executive positions to flush her professional experience. Buchanan will use this experience to spearhead the following endeavors for Whole Foods Market: 

• Public relations
• Internal communications
• Government affairs efforts 

Buchanan previously served as Vice President of Communications for Theranos, Vice President of Public Relations at Williams-Sonoma, in addition to holding multiple leadership and senior positions at Walmart. Buchanan also spent over eight years in political and government communications. 

Martin Tracey comes to Whole Foods Market as Global Vice President of Team Member Services (HR) to cultivate strategic responsibilities for the entire company team member experience, according to a recent press release. This includes focusing on the following for more than 87,000 team members:

• Recruitment
• Compensation and benefits
• Talent analytics
• Learning and development operations
• Payroll operations

In his most recent roll as Chief Talent Officer and Vice President of People Development at Starbucks, Tracey was responsible for leadership development, talent analytics, and organizational development.

As retailers continue to appoint new executives to leading positions within their companies, AndNowUKnow will have the latest in leadership positions and their impact on the industry. 

Whole Foods Market