DUBLIN,
Ohio, Feb. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wendy's
Company (Nasdaq: WEN) announced the appointment of Matt Spessard as Chief Information Officer. He
will report to President and Chief Executive Officer Kirk Tanner and serve on the Wendy's Senior
Leadership Team. Spessard will succeed Kevin Vasconi who has served as Chief
Information Officer since October
2020.
Spessard has served as Senior Vice President, Global Chief
Technology Officer for The Wendy's Company since August 2022. In this role, he was accountable for
establishing the Wendy's System global technology vision and
leading technological innovation and development to drive continued
growth, competitive brand advantage and topline revenue for the
Company and franchisees. As Chief Information Officer, Spessard
will assume responsibility for all aspects of Wendy's global
technology efforts, including Restaurant Technology, Data
Management and Analytics, Enterprise Technology, Software
Architecture and Engineering, and Information Security.
"Driving the growth of the digital business and harnessing
technology in restaurants to improve the customer and crew
experience are important pieces of our plan to accelerate sales and
profitable growth across the global System," said President and CEO
Kirk Tanner. "Matt's extensive
experience in overseeing global technology initiatives at Wendy's
positions him as the ideal leader to build growth on our already
successful foundation."
"The brand's future growth is strongly linked with technology,
and I'm excited about the possibilities it brings," said Spessard.
"As we move forward, technology has the potential to unlock the
next chapter of growth and I'm deeply committed to Wendy's success
in this dynamic landscape."
Spessard joined Wendy's in May
2020 as Vice President, Restaurant Technology and assumed
the expanded role of Vice President, Digital and Restaurant
Technology in September 2020. Prior
to that, he spent six years with Inspire Brands. He served in
several roles of increasing accountability, including Vice
President of Technology at SONIC. He also previously held various
operations and technology leadership roles at YUM! Brands, Church's
Chicken and Braum's Ice Cream & Dairy Stores.
About Wendy's
Wendy's® was founded in 1969 by
Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the
premise, "Quality is our Recipe®," which remains the guidepost of
the Wendy's system. Wendy's is best known for its made-to-order
square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef*,
freshly-prepared salads, and other signature items like chili,
baked potatoes and the Frosty® dessert. The Wendy's Company
(Nasdaq: WEN) is committed to doing the right thing and making a
positive difference in the lives of others. This is most visible
through the Company's support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for
Adoption® and its signature Wendy's Wonderful Kids® program, which
seeks to find a loving, forever home for every child waiting to be
adopted from the North American foster care system. Today, Wendy's
and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across
over 7,000 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming the
world's most thriving and beloved restaurant brand. For details on
franchising, connect with us at www.wendys.com/franchising. Visit
www.wendys.com and www.squaredealblog.com for more information and
connect with us on X and Instagram using @wendys, and on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/wendys.
*Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Canada.
Media Contact:
Heidi Schauer
Vice President – Communications, Public Affairs & Customer
Care
(614) 764-3368; heidi.schauer@wendys.com
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SOURCE The Wendy’s Company