San Diego — Jack in the Box Inc. has appointed Darin Harris as chief executive officer. He will also join the board of directors, both effective on the start of his employment no later than June 15, 2020. The board has elected David Goebel to serve as non-executive chairman of the board.
Harris has more than 25 years of experience leading franchised and corporate multi-unit retail and service businesses. Most recently, Harris has served as CEO of North America for IWG PLC (IWG), the holding group for several leading providers of over 1,000 flexible workspaces. Brands in the IWG portfolio include Regus, Spaces, HQ, No18 and Signature by Regus.
Harris has extensive leadership experience in the restaurant industry encompassing operations, franchising, brand strategy and restaurant development. Most notably, Harris was formerly the CEO of CiCi’s Pizza before joining IWG. Harris also previously held franchise leadership roles as senior vice president at Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. and vice president, franchise and corporate development at Captain D’s Seafood, Inc. He was also a previous franchise operator of Papa John’s Pizza and Qdoba Mexican Grill.
“We are enthusiastic about the breadth of experience Darin brings to the Jack in the Box team. Darin is a proven leader with a strong background in franchised organizations, both in leadership positions and as a franchisee himself. I am confident in his ability to lead this organization and continue to elevate the Jack in the Box business for guests, employees and franchisees,” says David Goebel, current independent lead director.
Harris takes over from Lenny Comma, who announced his intent to retire in December 2019 and has served as CEO and chairman of the board since 2014. He was with the company for 18 years.
Jack in the Box Inc., based in San Diego, is a restaurant company that operates and franchises Jack in the Box® restaurants, one of the nation’s largest hamburger chains, with more than 2,220 restaurants in 21 states. For more information, visit www.jackinthebox.com.
SOURCE: Jack in the Box Inc.