Sponsored By

Todd Penegor takes the helm at Wendy’sTodd Penegor takes the helm at Wendy’s

Ascension of former CFO completes his transition to the top CEO job

Jonathan Maze, Senior Financial Editor

May 26, 2016

1 Min Read
Nation's Restaurant News logo in a gray background | Nation's Restaurant News

Todd Penegor, CEO, Wendy's

Photo courtesy Wendy's

Todd Penegor was officially named CEO of The Wendy’s Co. on Thursday, completing his long transition that began last fall, when former CEO Emil Brolick announced his retirement.

Brolick had guided the 6,500-unit chain since 2011, before announcing his retirement in October. Penegor, who had been CFO, was picked as Brolick’s successor, and has been transitioning into the job in the months since then. He led the company’s first-quarter earnings call earlier this month, for instance.

“The transition of CEO duties from Emil Brolick to Todd Penegor has been seamless, as expected,” Wendy’s chairman Nelson Peltz said in a statement. “Todd’s strong leadership, operational expertise and great passion for Wendy’s will benefit the brand and all of Wendy’s stakeholders. We are also very grateful for Emil’s many contributions and his efforts to ensure that he retired with an excellent successor in place, and a highly capable senior leadership team.”

[CHARTBEAT:3]

Penegor takes over a chain that has generated some momentum in recent quarters, with same-store sales rising 7 percent on a two-year basis in the first quarter, while operators have started building new units and remodeling existing locations.

Gunther Plosch has taken over as Wendy’s CFO. Bob Wright, executive vice president and chief operations officer, will take over leadership for the international division. 

Contact Jonathan Maze at [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter: @jonathanmaze

Read more about:

Wendy's

About the Author

Jonathan Maze

Senior Financial Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Jonathan Maze covers finance for Nations Restaurant News, as well as restaurant chains based in the Midwest.

Jonathan came to NRN in 2014 after seven years covering restaurants for Franchise Times Magazine and the Restaurant Finance Monitor. There, he created an award-winning blog that reported on and analyzed the restaurant industry. He is routinely quoted in various mainstream press articles, including the Associated Press, Washington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Denver Post and Yahoo! Finance. He lives in a suburb of Minneapolis with his wife, two children and their cat.

Reach Jonathan at [email protected], or by phone at 651 633-6526.

Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters
Get the latest breaking news in the industry, analysis, research, recipes, consumer trends, the latest products and more.