The annual NRN Power List is the definitive list of industry leaders who are not only setting trends today, but also shaping them for tomorrow.
Meet the executives leading the brand’s growth, menu and marketing
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The annual NRN Power List is the definitive list of people setting foodservice trends today and shaping them for tomorrow. See the full list >>
Taco Bell might be considered a “bro” brand, but the executives doing most of the heavy lifting at the chain are women.
Marisa Thalberg, Taco Bell’s global chief brand officer, was named to the 2019 NRN Power List for her leadership on some of the company’s biggest product launches and for creating buzzworthy experiences for fans — including a wedding venue and party rooms.
But she’s hardly the only woman shaping the quick-service brand. Women hold top positions in brand leadership, marketing, legal and finance.
In early 2018, Liz Williams and Julie Masino became co-presidents of the brand; Thalberg became global chief brand officer at the time. Williams leads international growth and Masino heads up domestic strategy as the company targets 9,000 units worldwide and $15 billion in annual sales by 2022.
Women in other key executive roles include the company’s first chief legal officer, Julie Davis; Liz Matthews, global chief food innovation officer; and Natalia Barsegiyan, acting chief financial officer. (Williams previously was the company’s CFO before taking the co-president role last year.)
Get more on the Taco Bell leadership team:
Liz Williams on competition: ‘I’m not worried’
Julie Masino on company culture: ‘We do things our own way’
Marisa Thalberg on creating a lifestyle brand: ‘We’re the fast fashion of food’
Contact Nancy Luna at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter: @FastFoodMaven
