• by Teresa Buyikian , January 29, 2025

One new CMO is making a move that could be classified as “smooth.”

Smoothie King this week announced it was hiring Claudia Schaefer as the company's new CMO, effective immediately. Schaefer will “oversee all marketing efforts for Smoothie King, where she'll focus on further defining the brand's purpose and positioning by leveraging consumer insights to ultimately drive traffic and accelerate sales growth,” per the announcement.

"Claudia's expertise in brand-building and strategic marketing will be critical as we continue to strengthen our brand and drive growth in 2025 and beyond," said Wan Kim, CEO of Smoothie King, in the announcement.

Schaefer joins the smoothie chain after most recently serving as chief experience officer at Caliber, the parent company of automotive services company Caliber Collision. Before Caliber, she was CMO at multiple QSR brands, including Jamba and Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen. Earlier in her career Schaefer held leadership roles at Brinker International, parent company of Chili's Bar & Grill, where she worked in both marketing and culinary innovation across the U.S. as well as in international markets.

The brand opened 84 new stores domestically in 2024, bringing its total units to over 1,200 stores nationwide. There are plans for more expansion in 2025, with the brand building approximately105 new stores across the country.