On Monday, ahead of the restaurant brand’s ICR presentation, Dutch Bros announced it would be adding three executives to its C-suite: Joshua Guenser, Sumitro Ghosh, and Jess Elmquist. Guenser will become the chief financial officer, Ghosh the president of operations, and Elmquist the chief people officer. The quick-service brand’s current chief operating officer, Brian Maxwell, will transition into the role of vice chairman, reporting to co-founder and executive chairman Travis Boersma.
The Grants Pass, Ore.-based drive-thru coffee and specialty drinks restaurant’s former CEO Joth Ricci left the role, and former True Foods Kitchen CEO Christine Barone stepped in on Jan. 1, making these her first C-suite changes.
“We are designing our executive leadership team to support the Dutch Bros mission and vision as we scale and grow to 4,000 shops,” Barone said in a statement. “I’m excited to welcome best-in-class leaders who understand the industry and have effectively scaled operations while maintaining and valuing company culture. We have an exceptional team with leaders who have deep knowledge of Dutch Bros and what sets it apart in the drive-through industry, as well as those who know how to thoughtfully guide the company in its next phase of growth.”
Guenser will join Dutch Bros as incoming CFO on or about Feb. 19, and, following a transitional period and subject to his appointment by the board, he will succeed Charley Jemley as CFO following the release of the company’s financial results for the quarter ending March 31. He joins Dutch Bros from MOD Pizza, where he served as CFO, overseeing financial operations for all locations across North America. He also served more than ten years at Starbucks, most recently as senior vice president of finance for the Americas. He began his career at KPMG, LLP, where he served for more than seven years.
Ghosh will join Dutch Bros as incoming president of operations on or about Jan. 15, and will be accountable for shop operations, real estate strategy, and supply chain management. Ghosh joins Dutch Bros from Nike, where he served more than two years as global VP of Nike stores, driving strategy, structure, standards, concepts, and tools. Before that, Ghosh served as COO of Foxtrot Ventures Inc.; and in various roles at Starbucks, including CEO and managing director of TATA Starbucks Private Limited, which is a joint venture between Starbucks and TATA Consumer Products in India; and senior vice president of siren retail, global roastery and reserve stores; and at Yum Brands.
As chief people officer, Elmquist will be responsible for all human resources functions within the organization. He comes to Dutch Bros from Phenom People, Inc, where he served as chief human resources officer and chief evangelist. Before that, he spent 20 years at Life Time Inc., most recently as chief learning officer and executive vice president of human capital.
Christine Schmidt remains as Dutch Bros’ chief administrative officer.
