Inspire Brands’ CFO joined the restaurant industry 20 years ago and WFF helped her navigate a career and motherhood
Kate Jaspon is celebrating her 20th anniversary in the restaurant industry this year, joining the finance department at Dunkin’ Brands in 2005 after serving as an auditor at KPMG.
To say a lot has happened in those 20 years would be an egregious understatement. Jaspon worked her way up from director to vice president to chief financial officer, guiding the company through private equity ownership, a 2011 IPO, and the Great Recession of 2008 to 2009.
About a year after Inspire Brands acquired Dunkin’ in 2020, Jaspon was promoted to CFO of the parent company, which includes more than 32,600 restaurants in 57 global markets under the Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and Sonic banners.
Oh, and in the middle of this dizzying career trajectory, she became a mom of twins in 2009.
Being a woman in finance can be a lonely place. Women only make up about 15% of executive roles in finance, and Jaspon was quickly working her way up to that level at a fast growing company while also acclimating to motherhood twice over. Fortuitously, when she moved into the restaurant industry, she learned about the Women’s Foodservice Forum. She’s also celebrating her 20th anniversary as a WFF member this year and, for measure, she’s taking over as board chair for the organization. It’s a bit of a full circle moment for her.
“Joining WFF was originally a way for me to network with others, primarily in accounting and finance. I found my peers at conferences and built relationships to ask questions about the industry and how to navigate that first recessionary period,” Jaspon said during a recent interview. “As I progressed through different roles, I found a lot of mentors, friendships and camaraderie in WFF. It was never competitive. We weren’t trying to steal secrets, but rather asking how we help each other.”
Jaspon admits that at times she was desperate for such help. She wanted to establish herself in the industry and learn as much as she could while also learning how to balance a burgeoning career with newborns. But she wasn’t just seeking advice on establishing work/life boundaries.
“When I joined Inspire, I was the first female in the company to go to Saudi Arabia. I couldn’t call our leadership team and ask them what to wear when I go to Saudi Arabia, but I could call someone at WFF,” Jaspon said. “Little things like that make a big difference.”
Her network has continued to prove valuable even as her children have become more independent and even as she’s reached a career pinnacle as CFO of the largest restaurant companies in the world. She continues to leverage the organization’s communities of interest – for example, networking with other members who are also caring for aging parents.
Now, as she transitions into the chair role, Jaspon is mostly looking forward to telling her story and helping others along their own paths.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity and hope to bring something unique. How do I make it so all these people – whether franchisees, operators or our employees – have the resources and connections to help them elevate their career in our industry? That’s my focus,” she said. “I want to show people how I used relationships and structure to help me. (Most) Americans began their career in foodservice, so we need to make sure we provide the resources and tools available for companies to grow and develop the people in their workforce. That improves the business environment.”
Jaspon is also focused on encouraging members to raise their hand and ask for help, and to give back.
“As you move up, how do you open the door for others?” Jaspon said. “For me, a big turning point was realizing I could find mentors and allyship with people who didn’t look like me. As long as I worked hard and treated others with respect, the doors opened, and people helped me.”
Another goal as chair is to bring more people into the organization to create more opportunities to open such doors. She encouraged Edible Arrangements to join the WFF, for instance, and is recruiting more members at the franchisee level.
“My dad was a small business owner, so I’m a huge champion for small businesses and folks who take risks and develop people,” she said. “There are a lot of big participants (at WFF) and it can be overwhelming. My personal commitment is to get franchisees and smaller restaurant companies to participate. I would not be where I am today without WFF. I feel very strongly about that, and I want to give others that same opportunity.”
WFF will hold its 2025 Leadership Conference Feb. 24-26 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. Registration is now open here.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
