Name: Kieran Donahue
New title: Chief commercial officer, GoTo Foods
Previous title: Chief marketing officer, IHOP
Donahue brings several years of experience working with globally franchised brands to her new role at the organization that owns Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Schlotzky’s, per a press release.
“This past year has been transformational for GoTo Foods, and as our business has continued to grow, it was time for us to establish a commercial organization where our centralized, revenue-driving engines create even greater value for our iconic brands,” GoTo Foods CEO Jim Holthouser said in a statement.
Donahue will oversee various aspects within the commercial division, including consumer insights and analytics, revenue generation, digital, loyalty, branded currency, culinary and marketing planning, the company said.
“I see unlimited potential to harness the power of our seven iconic brands,” Donahue said. “By prioritizing how we use data and insights to drive consumer engagement with our brands, we will simultaneously work to ensure our brand franchisees receive the support and resources necessary to thrive in the competitive QSR space.”
As CMO of IHOP, Donahue led the commercial business, including brand positioning, omni-channel and digital innovation as well as loyalty, culinary and product development and PR and social media, per the press release. Donahue held her position at IHOP for nearly four years. Much of her experience is in the hotel space and she worked in various marketing positions at Marriott International and Hilton for nearly 20 years combined, according to her LinkedIn profile.
GoTo Foods has been bringing new talent into its C-suite, including a new chief brand officer for Moe’s earlier this month. In August, it hired a senior vice president of design and construction and in July appointed a chief brand officer for Schlozsky’s. In March, the company brought on a senior vice president of franchise development roughly a month after it rebranded as GoTo Foods from Focus Brands.
