Dive Brief:
- Panera Bread has hired Robin Seward as senior vice president, brand and integrated marketing, and Scott Uehlein as vice president of culinary, the company said Tuesday in a press release.
- The executives started in early January and report to CMO Mark Shambura, who joined the chain last year.
- The two executives joined the chain following a year of menu innovation. Last April, Panera released various new and revamped dishes spanning salads, sandwiches and mac and cheese. It also released different baked goods and breakfast sandwiches.
Dive Insight:
Seward worked in various marketing positions at Subway, Schlotzsky’s, Arby’s and Rita’s Italian Ice, according to the press release. She has over two decades of marketing experience in the restaurant industry. At Panera, she will lead strategic marketing planning, such as consumer insights, product strategy and category growth in addition to Panera’s consumer packaged goods business.
Uehlein’s role includes overseeing Panera’s culinary team and leading all menu development and innovation. He has over 30 years of restaurant experience, including serving as vice president of culinary at Papa Johns, Mod Pizza and Sonic. He spent the bulk of his career at Canyon Ranch Resorts where he led menu development and implementation as vice president of food and beverage and corporate chef, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“[Seward and Uehlein] will be instrumental as we focus on innovating this year through our marketing strategy and our menu offerings,” Shambura said in a statement.
