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RBI chief marketing officer Fernando Machado resignsRBI chief marketing officer Fernando Machado resigns

Machado has left the Burger King parent company after seven years with the company and is joining Activision Blizzard as chief marketing officer

Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor

April 5, 2021

1 Min Read
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RBI promoted Paloma Azulay to new global chief brand officer.RBI

Joanna Fantozzi

Fernando Machado — chief marketing officer for Burger King parent company Restaurant Brands International — has resigned after seven years with the company, and is now headed to videogame holding company, Activision Blizzard on April 12, as first reported by Business Insider.

Global chief marketing officer for Popeyes, Paloma Azulay, will be promoted as RBI’s new global chief brand officer.

“It has been an amazing seven years at Restaurant Brands International,” Machado said in a media statement. “I am super proud of the team’s impact on the brands, especially Burger King, and work around sustainability, food quality, and diversity and inclusion. Restaurant Brands International now has a really strong marketing team, and I am confident they will continue to do great work.”

Prior to being promoted to CMO in January 2020, Machado joined the company in 2014 as Burger King’s head of brand marketing before he was promoted to CMO of Burger King in 2017.

Some of his famous marketing campaigns include the moldy Whopper and the Whopper detour, which navigated potential customers away from a McDonald’s by offering them one-cent Whoppers.

“We wish Fernando the very best,” an RBI spokesperson told Forbes. “One of the great things that Fernando did for us is attract and grow strong marketing talent within the RBI organization. Today, we are fortunate to have exceptional home-market CMOs in Hope Bagozzi, Ellie Doty and Bruno Cardinali, and all three have built strong marketing teams at Tim Hortons, Burger King and Popeyes.”

Contact Joanna at [email protected]

Find her on Twitter: @JoannaFantozzi

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About the Author

Joanna Fantozzi

Senior Editor

Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. She has more than seven years of experience writing about the restaurant and hospitality industry. Her editorial coverage ranges from profiles of independent restaurants around the country to breaking news and insights into some of the biggest brands in food and beverage, including Starbucks, Domino’s, and Papa John’s.  

Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in arts and culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Prior to joining Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018, she was a freelance food, culture, and lifestyle writer, and has previously held editorial positions at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider) and The Daily Meal. Joanna’s work can also be found in The New York Times, Forbes, Vice, The New York Daily News, and Parents Magazine. 

Her areas of expertise include restaurant industry news, restaurant operator solutions and innovations, and political/cultural issues.

Joanna Fantozzi has been a moderator and event facilitator at both Informa’s MUFSO and Restaurants Rise industry events. 

Joanna Fantozzi’s experience:

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (August 2021-present)

Associate Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (July 2019-August 2021)

Assistant Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Oct. 2018-July 2019)

Freelance Food & Lifestyle Reporter (Feb. 2018-Oct. 2018)

Food & Lifestyle Reporter, Insider (June 2017-Feb. 2018)

News Editor, The Daily Meal (Jan. 2014- June 2017)

Staff Reporter, Straus News (Jan. 2013-Dec. 2013)

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