Brian Niccol and Elliott Hill are taking over Starbucks and Nike , respectively, just as a key market that weighed on their predecessors gets a boost. As China's economic stimulus takes shape, it could end up helping these global brands. Nike and Starbucks in China While the exact plans for Niccol and Hill are still unclear, the Chinese market seems like it will be an area of focus. At Starbucks, the company's leadership team in China has already been reshuffled since Niccol took over in September. Still, a rebound for China's consumer won't necessarily boost sales for Starbucks and Nike without better execution.

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Persons: Brian Niccol, Elliott Hill, Hartmut Issel, Niccol, Matthew Friend, Hill, Chen Luo, Ellen Hazen, . Putnam, Hazen, Eric Clark, I'd, it's, Clark, America's Luo, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Starbucks, Nike, Bank of America — Nike, UBS, Bank of America, CNBC, Brands, Bank, America's Locations: China, United States, Niccol, .