Starbucks chief joins Groupon board

Groupon, the group buying site, has bolstered its executive board with the appointment of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.

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Schultz joins Groupon as part of a wider reshuffle of its senior executives following its latest round of financing.

In the Groupon blog, founder Andrew Mason says: “Schultz’ experience in building the culture and business of Starbucks and his relentless focus on innovation to improve customer experiences brings a unique combination of skills to our board of directors.”

Former board members John Walter, Harry Weller, and Jason Fried will step sown, but remain “close to the company”.

Fried will now sit on Groupon’s advisory board to help the social commerce site “simplify and refine” its features.

In January, Groupon completed a $950m (£610m) round of financing to fund its global expansion.

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