Tiffany Willis (www.tiffany-willis.com) is the forthcoming author of the highly anticipated book, Own Your Narrative, as she is known for her personal resilience and unbelievable level of grit. She is a servant leader with glowing gravitas and brings over 25 years of high-caliber finance, internal controls, investor relations, and governance experience from PwC, EY, C-Suite consulting, and Fortune 100 executive roles, such as Senior Vice President of Investor Relations of Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX). She is also qualified to serve on audit committees as a financial expert. 

Willis recently served as Strategic Advisor to SBUX Board Chair, Mellody Hobson, and three Committee Chairs, counseling them on critical Board topics, including say on pay, CEO succession planning, executive compensation plan and design. She developed an actionable governance strategy for Board engagement, prepared and successfully steered the Board through intense proxy battles, activism, contested elections and managed proxy solicitor engagement with both Glass Lewis and ISS, resulting in favorable investor voting and the Board remaining intact. Her governance expertise, leadership style, and interpersonal influence have been publicly acknowledged by the Board and C-Suite. Her governance strategy and execution have also been recognized by top Stewardship teams, including Vanguard, BlackRock and Fidelity. Willis also designed and regularly presented investor materials, analyst sentiments and market insights to the SBUX Board. 

As a versatile Fortune 100 finance executive, Willis led the Company’s financial communication strategy and ESG outreach for nearly $130 billion in stock market capitalization and over $4 trillion in financial assets under management, ensuring the Company was well positioned with the investment community. She steered SBUX through multiple strategies under five CEOs, including Howard Schultz, while managing brand boycotts and mitigating escalating activism. Even amid volatility, Willis preserved a consistent investor roster and stable analyst coverage by applying disciplined governance and her signature “white glove” client mentality, earning recognition from the National Investor Relations Institute. 

Prior to Starbucks, Willis served as the Head of Investor Relations for multiple Fortune 500 companies, oversaw a $22 billion acquisition, as well as gained global experience from working in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Argentina. Willis’ background of Big Four Accounting, Finance and Wall Street knowledge is complimented by her diverse industry experience and companies, such as The Coca-Cola Company, Heinz, and other iconic companies. 

Her corporate financial and governance expertise extends to board roles with The Ron Clark Academy, as Vice Chair of Governance. Beyond corporate leadership, Willis is driven by community impact and fueling positive environmental and social change. Her longstanding record of community involvement includes representing the State of Georgia as Ms. Black Georgia USA, and partnering with the Department of Juvenile Justice to support sexually exploited teenage girls in group homes. Her work and community impact has been recognized by a non-partisan body of Congress. 

Willis graduated from Wharton School of Business’ advanced management program, holds an MBA from Emory University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Duquesne University. She also holds certifications in investor relations, risk management, operations and IT disciplines, which equips her with a multi-dimensional perspective.