Focus Brands Appoints New Brand Executives and Names Chief People Officer
New brand management and brand marketing roles named; HR veteran takes on new post
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ATLANTA, Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ Focus Brands®, parent company of iconic brands Auntie Anne s®, Carvel®, Cinnabon®, Jamba®, Moe s Southwest Grill®, McAlister s Deli® and Schlotzsky s®, today announced newly appointed executive brand management and marketing leadership to oversee the strategic direction of some of its brands and continue to drive brand relevance and market share.
The appointments include the following: Kendall Ware, chief brand officer for Carvel and Cinnabon; Alisa Gmelich, chief brand officer for Auntie Anne s; Cynthia Liu, vice president of Marketing for Auntie Anne s and Danielle Porto Parra, vice president of Marketing for McAlister s Deli. Additionally, with the company s continuing focus on recruitment, retention and company cultu
Focus Brands COO,President to Leave Post hospitalitytech.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hospitalitytech.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Kat Cole joined the company in 2010.
Focus Brands announced that Kat Cole, chief operating officer and president, has decided to leave the company. Cole will continue in her capacity at the company until her departure, which is expected at the end of the year.
“Focus Brands has seen a strategic transformation in the ten years Kat has been with the company,” said Jim Holthouser, who joined Focus Brands as CEO in February. “In my time as CEO, we’ve managed through unprecedented times in our industry and Kat’s leadership and knowledge have helped us pave the way for an exciting 2021 and beyond. She has built a deep bench of diverse leaders and has helped to position the company and its brands for continued future growth. I am grateful for her partnership and wish her the best as she moves to this next chapter.”
From Potbelly to Kitchen United to the National Restaurant Association, many brands changed their top executive this year
2020 – while unlike any other year – still had some consistencies with years past. Restaurant brands went bankrupt, mergers and acquisitions abounded, chains went public and new CEOs were named – 31, to be exact.
Some companies, like ghost-kitchen provider Kitchen United, Boston Market, Sysco and Punch Bowl Social, saw big public exits from the top roles. Boston Market’s former CEO Frances Allen and Sysco’s former CEO Tom Bené moved on to large and visible jobs at two other companies, Checkers and Rally’s and the National Restaurant Association, respectively.
Focus Brands Announces Departure of Industry Veteran | RestaurantNewsRelease com restaurantnewsrelease.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from restaurantnewsrelease.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.