ATLANTA Church’s Chicken said Monday that Mel Deane has replaced Harsha V. Agadi as chief executive.
Deane has worked for the past 10 years with Friedman, Fleischer & Lowe, the private-equity firm that acquired the 1,700-unit Church’s in June. He has held senior leadership positions in a number of the firm’s portfolio companies. Most recently, he served as executive vice president and general manager of Church's U.S. operations.
Agadi, who had been CEO since 2005, will remain with the company as a member of its board, Church's said.
“There is no better time to build enterprise value and grow a company than now, when others are cutting back due to difficult economic conditions," said David Lowe, founding partner of San Francisco-based Friedman, Fleischer & Lowe. "Mel Deane is a true value builder who focuses relentlessly on the consumer.”
Lyndon Johnson, president of the Church’s Independent Franchise Association, said franchisees “have already welcomed Mel Deane to the Church’s Chicken family, and we applaud his new leadership role.”
Church's said it has opened more than 100 restaurants over the past year. The company has systemwide sales of about $1.2 billion.
Contact Elissa Elan at [email protected].
