Management Profiles - Wendy’s Investor Day 2015
Emil Brolick has been a director and the President and Chief Executive Officer
of the Company since September 2011. Prior to joining the Company, Mr.
Brolick served as Chief Operating Officer of Yum! Brands, Inc. (“Yum!
Brands”) and as President of two of Yum! Brand’s U.S. operating segments,
Long John Silver’s and A&W All American Food Restaurants, from June 2008
to September 2011. From December 2006 to June 2008, Mr. Brolick served as
President of U.S. Brand Building for Yum! Brands. Prior to that, Mr. Brolick
served as President and Chief Concept Officer of Taco Bell Corp. (“Taco
Bell”), a position he held from July 2000 to November 2006. Prior to joining
Taco Bell in July 2000, Mr. Brolick worked at Wendy’s International Inc.
(“Wendy’s International”) for 12 years, lastly serving as Senior Vice President
of New Product Marketing, Research and Strategic Planning. Mr. Brolick also
serves as a trustee of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Mr. Brolick
is 66 years of age. In addition to serving as the President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Company since September 2011, Mr. Brolick has extensive
experience as an executive in the quick-service restaurant industry, including
many years serving in a senior leadership position with Yum! Brands and
Taco Bell, as well as previous experience in senior leadership positions with
Wendy’s International. Much of Mr. Brolick’s business experience relates to
marketing, brand building and operations, all of which are important to the
Company’s business.
Emil J. Brolick
President and Chief Executive
Officer
Management Profiles - Wendy’s Investor Day 2015
Todd Penegor joined the Company in June 2013 and has served
as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the
Company since September 2013. Prior to joining the Company,
Mr. Penegor worked at Kellogg Company, a global leader in food
products, from 2000 to 2013, where he held several key
leadership positions, including Vice President of Kellogg
Company and President of U.S. Snacks from 2009 to June 2013,
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Kellogg Europe
from 2007 to 2009, and Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of Kellogg USA and Kellogg Snacks from 2002 to 2007.
Prior to joining Kellogg Company, Mr. Penegor worked for 12
years at Ford Motor Company in various positions, including
strategy, mergers and acquisitions, the controller’s office and
treasury.
Todd A. Penegor
Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
Management Profiles - Wendy’s Investor Day 2015
Abigail Pringle was named Chief Development Officer for The Wendy’s
Company in December 2014. A member of Wendy’s senior leadership team,
Abigail is responsible for Design, Construction, Real Estate Planning, Site
Selection, Portfolio Management, and Franchise Development and Services.
She leads the brand’s reimaging, new restaurant development and system
optimization growth initiatives. Abigail, who previously served as Senior Vice
President, Strategic Initiatives and Planning and Senior Vice President,
Restaurant Development and Growth Initiatives, has led the Company’s Image
Activation efforts over the last four years. In this capacity, she has helped drive
the creation of new restaurant designs and uniforms, while partnering with
Wendy’s Marketing team to redesign the brand logo and packaging. Prior to
being named SVP in 2012, Abigail served as Vice President, Strategic Initiatives
and Planning, reporting to the brand President and responsible for facilitating
the Company’s brand planning process and driving key initiatives such as
Image Activation, Strategic Pricing and Franchise Excellence. From 2006 to
2008, she was Director of Strategic Business Solutions, managing the Wendy’s
brand planning and project efforts for the Executive Vice President of
Restaurant Services. Prior to joining Wendy’s in 2002, Abigail worked for
Accenture, a global management consulting company -- providing leadership to
various clients in the areas of process reengineering, systems implementations,
organizational design and change management.
Abigail E. Pringle
Senior Vice President and
Chief Development Officer
Management Profiles - Wendy’s Investor Day 2015
Bob Wright joined the Company in December 2013 and has
served as Chief Operations Officer of the Company since March
2014. Prior to joining the Company, Bob served as President,
Chief Operating Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer for
Charley’s Grilled Subs from December 2010 to December 2013.
Prior to that, he served as Executive Vice President of Company
and Franchise Operations at Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc.
from January 2008 to August 2010. Previously, Bob worked for
10 years at Wendy’s International in various corporate roles,
including as Franchise Area Director from 1998 to 2000, as
Director of Area Operations from 2000 to 2005, as President of
Cafe Express, LLC from 2005 to 2006, and as Vice President of
Operations and Training Integration from 2006 to 2008. Prior to
joining Wendy’s International, he worked as a Senior Franchise
Consultant at Domino’s Pizza from 1993 to 1998.
Robert D. Wright
Chief Operations Officer
Management Profiles - Wendy’s Investor Day 2015
Brandon Rhoten leads digital and social media for The Wendy’s
Company. His team’s work has been lauded by Forbes, Spin, Fast
Company, Ad Age, DigiDay, and has won dozens of awards including a
Cannes Lion, Effie, One Show, Ad Week Watch, and Facebook Studio
Award. Brandon has been a featured speaker at many events, including
SocialMedia.org, the Mobile Marketing Association (where he is a board
member), SM2, Ad Week, and SXSW. He was named an Ad Age Top
Digital Marketer in 2014. Over the last three years Brandon has built a
digital practice at Wendy’s, brought on a digital agency of record, and
launched several major digital initiatives including a new .com, mobile
app with payment functionality, and completely reworked digital
advertising and social media strategies. Previous to Wendy’s, Brandon
led digital for Remington and the Freedom Group of Companies, where
he helped Remington become a leading manufacturer in its category in
digital marketing and crisis response. Brandon started his digital career
at Gyro, a decorated agency based in London with 15 offices worldwide,
as a senior public relations consultant and account director working with
tech and manufacturing clients.
Brandon Rhoten
VP, Digital & Social Marketing
Management Profiles - Wendy’s Investor Day 2015
Lori Estrada joined the Wendy's company in 2001. During her
tenure with the company, she led the successful re-invention of
several menu categories including salads, chicken, and
premium Dave’s Hot & Juicy Hamburgers. In 2014, Lori received
Nation’s Restaurant News’s LTO of the year for the 2013 Launch
of the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger. Lori has worked in the food
industry for over 29 years. Prior to her career with Wendy's, Lori
led product innovation at several other major QSRs, including
Burger King, Taco Bell, and Jack In the Box, earning awards of
distinction for her work. She is active in restaurant industry
associations and is a current board member for the Flavor
Experience.
Lori Estrada
VP, Culinary Development
Management Profiles - Wendy’s Investor Day 2015
Brandon Solano joined The Wendy’s Company in July 2014. He has been
recognized as one of the top 50 marketers in the country (named to
Advertising Age’s “Marketing 50” in 2005), received the “Innovator of the
Year” award in 2008 and “Person of the Year” in 2009 from Domino’s
largest franchise, RPM Pizza, Inc. Brandon has been recognized as a
“Re-Engineer” by Esquire magazine, has written for The Henry Ford
Magazine, and been featured in television episodes focused on business
turnarounds including “It’s Everybody’s Business” with Jack and Suzy
Welch and “The C-Suite” with Jeff Hayzlett. Brandon Solano is a veteran
brand builder and product innovator and leads the Company’s Brand
Marketing efforts. He has a proven track record of building businesses
and organizations. Prior to Wendy’s, Solano was Vice President of
Franchise Development at Domino’s and was responsible for Domino’s
Global retail re-image project and development. From 2008 to 2011
Brandon oversaw product innovation at Domino’s where his team
created an award-winning pipeline of innovative new products including:
Domino’s Parmesan Bread Bites, Stuffed Cheesy Bread, Artisan Pizzas,
New and Improved Chicken, Oven Baked Sandwiches, American
Legends line of specialty pizzas, BreadBowl, and Domino’s New and
Inspired core Pizza – a key element in Domino’s turnaround.
Brandon L. Solano
Chief Marketing Officer
Management Profiles - Wendy’s Investor Day 2015
Darrell van Ligten leads the Wendy’s brand outside of North
America as President of the Company’s principal international
subsidiaries (excluding Canada), a position he has held since
February 2010. He also led the Arby’s brand outside of North
America prior to the Company’s sale of Arby’s in July 2011. Prior
to joining the Company, Darrell was a partner of Regent Golf, a
private club management company he co-founded in 2007. From
2006 to 2007, he was an Executive-In-Residence at Catalytic
Capital. Darrell served as Senior Vice President, Marketing and
Operation Services of American Golf Corp. from 2003 to 2006.
He served as General Manager, Toybox Group at Toys R Us, Inc.
from 2001 to 2003. Prior to that, Darrell held management
positions in strategic planning and marketing at Tricon Global
Restaurants, Inc., Arby’s, Taco Bell and PepsiCo.
Darrell G. van Ligten
President, International
Management Profiles - Wendy’s Investor Day 2015
David Poplar joined Wendy’s in 2011 after spending the previous four
years as Vice President of Investor Relations for Bob Evans Farms, Inc.
There he was responsible for overseeing the Company’s investor
relations function, as well as acting as the primary corporate contact for
sell-side analysts, portfolio managers and financial media. Prior to
joining Bob Evans, Poplar was Director of Investor Relations from 2004
to 2007 for Wendy’s International, Inc. He also served concurrently as
Director of Investor Relations for Tim Hortons, Inc. after its March 2006
initial public offering until its spin-off from Wendy’s in September 2006.
At Wendy’s, Poplar won the 2006 R. David Thomas Award for
Outstanding Management, which is an annual honor presented to one
management-level corporate employee who best exemplifies the high
standards and commitment to Wendy’s exemplified by the company’s
founder, Dave Thomas. Prior to joining Wendy’s, Poplar served from 2000
to 2004 as Manager of Investor and Corporate Media Relations at
American Greetings. He had previously worked in various corporate
communications capacities at American Greetings from 1996 to 2000 and
at Manco, Inc. (now Henkel Consumer Adhesives) from 1991 to 1996.
David D. Poplar
VP, Investor Relations