Atlanta — Focus Brands®, parent company of Auntie Anne’s®, Carvel®, Cinnabon®, Jamba®, McAlister’s Deli®, Moe’s Southwest Grill® and Schlotzsky’s®, has appointed three senior leaders across two areas of the business. Effective immediately, the following executives will be leading these key business functions within the company:
- Chris Newman, Senior Vice President, Real Estate
- Jim Cannon, Senior Vice President, Design & Construction
- Julie Younglove-Webb, Chief Brand Officer, Auntie Anne’s
“One of the most important investments a leader can make is in recruiting the best talent and assembling the right teams,” says Jim Holthouser, CEO of Focus Brands. “Each of these three new leaders bring an impressive depth of talent and expertise to their respective areas of the business and will be critical in driving our continued success. We look forward to seeing all that they’ll accomplish at Focus Brands.”
Younglove-Webb will lead Auntie Anne’s overall strategy and execution of both marketing and operations. She joins Focus Brands from Domino’s Pizza, where she served as senior vice president of corporate operations in the United States. Prior to her tenure at Domino’s, Younglove-Webb spent 11 years at Potbelly Sandwich Works in various senior leadership positions, including chief restaurant operations officer.
Cannon will provide strategic leadership to the design and construction department in developing and managing the brands’ prototypes, ensuring locations are successfully designed, built and opened on time and within budget. Boasting a 40-year career in the construction industry, Cannon has held a number of roles in design & development for quick-service restaurant brands, including Inspire Brands, Arby’s, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Jack in the Box.
Newman will oversee all aspects of Focus Brands’ real estate strategy to fuel long term portfolio growth across all seven brands. He comes to Focus Brands from Next Chapter Properties LLC, where he led the development of multifamily communities in four states as the group’s director of real estate. Prior to Next Chapter, Newman spent 12 years as the director of real estate for Jimmy John’s.
Atlanta-based Focus Brands® is a leading developer of global multi-channel foodservice brands. Focus Brands, through its affiliate brands, is the franchisor and operator of more than 6,400 restaurants, cafes, ice cream shoppes and bakeries in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and over 55 foreign countries. For more information, visit www.focusbrands.com.
SOURCE: Focus Brands