Atlanta-based Church’s Texas Chicken announced Monday the appointment of Natalia Franco as the brand’s new global chief marketing officer, effective immediately. Before joining the quick-service brand, Franco founded BrandMark Global, a global marketing consulting firm, where she served as president from 2018 to 2023. Before that, she served as executive vice president, chief brand and strategy officer for California Pizza Kitchen, and also held senior executive leadership positions with IHOP, Burger King, and Coca-Cola.
“I’m thrilled to join this iconic brand as it continues on a strong growth trajectory and secures a leading position in the fried chicken category,” Franco said in a statement. “It is an exciting time to join a company with such tremendous potential in an exciting, dynamic category.”
Franco will be replacing Brian Gies, who was Church’s Texas Chicken’s Global CMO from 2019-2022. In her new position, Franco will be in charge of creating and executing “a strategic vision for the brand and creatively leading marketing ideation, brand execution and digital prowess across the organization,” according to Church’s Texas Chicken.
“Natalia is a veteran marketing executive with whom I previously worked during a major brand acceleration,” Joe Guith, CEO of the Church’s Texas Chicken and Texas Chicken brands said in a statement. “Her vision for brand positioning and her leadership in building great teams is very strong. Natalia’s expertise will be key as we continue to strengthen and grow this beloved brand.”
Franco’s addition to the team was announced on the heels of another leadership appointment announced last week when Church’s Texas Chicken named Danton Nolan executive vice president and chief financial officer.
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