Dunkin Donuts Talk

Dunkin' Brands, Inc., the parent company of quick service brands including, Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin-Robbins and Togo's, today announced the appointment of Robert Rodriguez as Dunkin' Donuts Brand Officer and Lisa McLean as Togo's Brand Officer.

Mr. Rodriguez brings more than 37 years of broad-range leadership experiences and achievements within the most respected franchising companies in the world. Mr. Rodriguez will oversee the strategic development of the Dunkin' Donuts brand, which will encompass a range of responsibilities including operations, marketing, franchising and new business initiatives for Dunkin' Donuts in the United States. Rodriguez will head a solid team that has already built a strong foundation for Dunkin' Donuts and work closely with franchisees to help accelerate the process to take the brand nationwide.

Mr. Rodriguez joined Togo's Eatery as the division's Brand Officer in March 2004. Since that time, he has led a major turnaround for the brand, recently posting 18 consecutive months of sales growth. He established a best-in-class team that has helped reinvigorate the brand to focus on profitability improvement.

"In his two years as the Togo's Brand Officer, Robert demonstrated the essential attributes of great leadership -- generating and sustaining trust among franchisees and building a strong sense of purpose and community. Fueled by his leadership, Robert was able to work closely with franchisees to strengthen the brand. His leadership yielded tremendous results -- maximizing sales and profitability for both franchisees and the company," said Will Kussell, Chief Operating Officer for Dunkin' Brands. "We believe that Robert will bring the same strong leadership skills to Dunkin' Donuts -- and he's the right person to expand the brand's footprint to untapped markets throughout the United States."

Prior to joining Dunkin' Brands, Mr. Rodriguez served as the Senior Vice President of Operations for Mrs. Fields, leading seven national retail brands with over 3,000 units and system-wide sales of $1.5 billion. Prior to Mrs. Fields, he had held positions including: President of Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees; Division Vice President of Strategic Planning for McDonald's Corporation; Zone Vice President and Director of Planning & Development for Taco Bell; and Director of Operations for Burger King.

In these roles, Mr. Rodriguez has successfully developed new product introductions, improved system and operation efficiencies, created strategies to increase comparable sales, and driven growth domestically and internationally. He has extensive experience with franchise organizations across multiple brands and has a formidable reputation for building strong relationships with the franchise community. He has been successful in repositioning brands and maintains the importance of being a consumer-driven organization.

"I am pleased to join an exceptional team of individuals who've built Dunkin' Donuts into one of the world's most revered brands for its loyal consumer following, the best-in-class quality and innovation of its menu, and unsurpassed service," stated Rodriguez. "We have only begun to realize the brand's potential, and I look forward to applying my experience and knowledge to further drive growth and profitability throughout the organization."

Assuming responsibilities for Mr. Rodriguez at Togo's will be industry veteran Lisa McLean, former vice president of marketing for Togo's. In her new role as Togo's Brand Officer, Ms. McLean will oversee the strategic development of the brand, which will encompass a range of responsibilities including operations, marketing, franchise services and focusing on quality delivery to the customer.

Prior to joining Togo's, Ms. McLean held leadership positions at Deidrich Coffee and Fresh Express, and brings extensive branding experience from Nestle Beverage Company, Proctor & Gamble, and Crate & Barrel. Ms. Mclean was also the founder and owner of McLean Product Visioning -- a strategic marketing and product development consultancy whose clients included Nespresso, Fresh Express and Foxy Foods among others.

"We have full faith and confidence that Lisa will build upon the foundation of success the Togo's brand experienced in the last two years. Throughout her career, Lisa has demonstrated her ability as a leader in the quick service restaurant industry," said Will Kussell, Chief Operating Officer for Dunkin' Brands. "Lisa's knowledge and passion for the Togo's brand and exceptional capacity to build franchisee relationships will allow her to quickly and seamlessly transition into her new role. We are very excited about the future of the Togo's brand under Lisa's leadership."

Mr. Rodriguez received a Bachelor's degree from University of Redlands, holds an MBA from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, and is fluent in Spanish. He has served on several non-profit boards.

Ms. McLean received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, and holds a Masters of International Management from Thunderbird - Garvin School of International Management.

Source: Dunkin' Brands Appoints New Brand Officers for Dunkin' Donuts - Yahoo! News (press release)