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Today, Panera Bread announced well-known restaurant industry leader Debbie Roberts as new executive vice president and chief operations officer, effective immediately.
Roberts joins Panera after three decades at McDonald’s, where she was most recently east zone president with responsibility for 7,000 restaurants in 11 regions.
“We are thrilled to welcome Debbie to Panera, and are looking forward to her bringing her strong record of cross-functional partnership, results-driven engagement, and especially, her focus on people as the core of operational excellence,” said Niren Chaudhary, Panera CEO. “As the brand continues to grow and transform, Debbie’s experience will bring fresh perspective and unparalleled industry experience to our executive team.”
“Joining an iconic brand like Panera is incredibly exciting,” Roberts said. “I look forward to building on the team’s accomplishments and helping to simplify and innovate our operations as we navigate this unique time in our industry.”
Roberts’ hire is the latest addition to Panera’s leadership team, which has expanded to bring on industry veterans from world-class companies, including Kraft, Yum! Brands, Unilever, Pepsi, CVS, Accenture and Coca-Cola.
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