Inspire Brands announced today that David Graves has been named as Arby’s brand president. Graves previously served as president of Pizza Hut U.S. Prior to that role, he served as Pizza Hut’s chief brand officer and then general manager.
On his watch, the pizza company sharpened its focus on individual-use and lunch occasions, including the introduction of the Melts category, which lifted sales and traffic.
“We are excited for David to bring his extensive experience to Arby’s,” Inspire Brands chief brand officer Scott Murphy said in a statement. “David has a reputation for quickly impacting sales and transforming brands over time. He is a servant leader with a focus on growing people and delivering exceptional guest experiences.”
Prior to joining Pizza Hut, Graves spent several years at KFC U.S., leading the marketing strategy. Before joining Yum Brands in 2016, Graves spent much of his career Procter & Gamble.
“David brings extensive experience and a strong track record of leading transformational success to Arby’s, and I’m very excited about the brand’s future,” Inspire chief executive officer Paul Brown said in a statement.
“Arby’s is such an iconic brand, and I am honored to carry its legacy forward,” Graves said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to partnering with the passionate team at Arby’s and our franchisees to accelerate growth for this great brand.”
He succeeds Rita Patel, who was named Arby's president in April 2023 after serving as chief marketing officer since 2022.
Inspire also recently announced Jeff Baker as Arby’s CMO. Baker returns to Arby’s with prior experience, having previously served as vice president of brand advertising and content from 2014 to 2018. He has been with Inspire for 11 years, most recently as vice president of category management at Buffalo Wild Wings, where he spearheaded the brand’s culinary and beverage innovation strategy.
According to Technomic data, Arby’s finished 2023 with $4.6 billion in sales, a 1.8% increase over 2022, and 3,413 units, a 0.1% year-over-year decline.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
