Starwood Taps Coca-Cola Exec as Chief Marketing Officer

At Starwood, Benito will be responsible for all aspects of marketing worldwide. Company officials add that he will work with Starwood CEO Steven J. Heyer to redefine brand positioning for Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, the Luxury Collection, St. Regis and W Hotels. Before coming to Starwood, Heyer was a Coca-Cola executive. "Javier is a passionate executive who thoughtfully breaks old rules and creates new ones, which gels perfectly with our desire to move from functional to emotionally relevant branding that will transform Starwood's stable of well-known trademarks to highly valued brands," Heyer says.

The 42-year-old executive who will work out of Starwood's offices in White Plains should join the hotelier sometime in April. He joined Coca-Cola in 1994 and served in a variety of global positions including division marketing director for Central and Eastern Europe, SVP of marketing and operations for Brazil and division president of the Nordic and Baltic division. During his seven-year tenure at Procter & Gamble, he held a number of positions in the US and Spain managing brands including Tide, Bold and Mr. Clean.

Starwood has recently announced several new marketing collaborations. The company engaged Creative Artists Agency, a leading entertainment, talent and marketing agency, to infuse "pop culture" into its brands and properties. Also, the company hired Scott Bedbury, a former Starbucks chief marketing officer and Nike marketing executive, to serve as a brand advisor and consultant to the company as it revamps its marketing and brand strategies.