Dive Brief:
- Bojangles' Inc. has hired Reese Stewart, former senior vice president of finance and chief accounting officer of CKE Restaurants, as its CFO, the company announced in a press release. CKE, based in Franklin, Tennessee, owns fast-food giants Carl's Jr. and Hardee's.
- Private equity firm The Jordan Company acquired Bojangles', based in Charlotte, North Carolina, in January.
- “Reese is a standout in the world of corporate finance, and his experience in the QSR industry is difficult to match," said CEO Jose Armario in a statement.
Dive Insight:
As interim CFO at CKE, Stewart developed and led financial teams that helped drive growth of the Hardee's and Carl's Jr. brands, both domestically and internationally, and helped the company transform itself structurally. "He was instrumental in a variety of strategic and capital transactions, and supervised the financial transition from public ownership to private equity,” the company said.
Earlier in his career, Stewart worked in public accounting; he retains the CPA designation. In his new position, he will report directly to Armario. "He has a well-documented history of bringing financial teams together to maximize resources and drive the business forward," Armario said.
The news of Stewart's hiring follows a C-suite shake-up that began when The Jordan Company acquired the chicken chain this year. Armario, a former executive at Burger King and McDonald's, was announced as Bojangles' "permanent new" CEO in January. Brian Unger, former senior vice president of operations of McDonald's and president and COO of Long John Silver's, stepped in as COO.
