Panda Restaurant Group veteran Tabassum Zalotrawala named chief development officer
Brian Niccol’s bench is complete.
With the hiring of two more chiefs reporting directly to CEO Niccol, Chipotle Mexican Grill said its executive leadership team is fully in place.
On Thursday the Newport Beach, Calif.-based fast-casual chain announced the appointments of a chief legal officer and a chief development officer.
Tabassum Zalotrawala
Photo: Chipotle
Tabassum Zalotrawala, who spent seven years at Panda Restaurant Group, will oversee development. She started in December, according to her company profile. Zalotrawala is a former Arby's Restaurant Group franchisee, who later held roles at the company focusing on store development and franchisee support.
Roger Theodoredis, former general secretary of Danone North America, took over as the brand’s legal chief in October.
Both report to Niccol, who moved to joined Chipotle from Taco Bell in March.
Roger Theodoredis
Photo: Chipotle
Since that time, Niccol has been building his executive team. Some of the players include former teammate Chris Brandt, who joined Chipotle as chief marketing officer in April 2018. He and Niccol worked together at Irvine, Calif.-based Taco Bell.
In April, Niccol added Marissa Andrada. The former Kate Spade and Starbucks executive became the company’s first chief people officer.
The leadership team will assist Niccol with his Chipotle recovery plans, which include making the chain more visible through digital platforms and increasing the company’s profile as a culture-leading food brand.
Niccol said he is “energized about having such a world-class executive leadership team in place” to accelerate the company’s goals.
"I'm confident that this team will lead Chipotle's culture of purpose, innovation, and accountability to deliver new levels of growth and value for customers and shareholders,” he said in a statement.
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