Paul J. Brown
Paul Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Education | Georgia Institute of Technology (BS) Northwestern University (MS, MBA) |
| Occupation(s) | Co-Founder and CEO of Inspire Brands |
Paul J. Brown is an American businessman and the co-founder and chief executive officer of Inspire Brands.[1] He is the former chief executive officer of Arby’s.[2]
Education[edit]
Brown is an alumnus of Georgia Tech where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in management.[3] He also received an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Master of Engineering Management from the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.[4]
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
Brown was previously the President of Brands and Commercial Services of Hilton Worldwide, President of Expedia North America and Senior Vice President of Global Brand Services at InterContinental Hotels Group.[2] He also held positions with The Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company.[5][6]
Arby’s (2013–2018)[edit]
In May 2013, Brown became Chief Executive Officer of Arby’s.[7] During his tenure as CEO of Arby’s, the brand introduced a new restaurant design and launched the “We Have The Meats” marketing campaign.[8] Brown also introduced new menu items including smokehouse brisket, pork belly, gyros, deep-fried turkey, and venison.[9] Brown led Arby’s international development agreements to expand in to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.[10]
In 2017, under Brown’s leadership, Fortune named Arby’s to its 100 Best Workplaces list for Millennials, Women, and Diversity.[11] Restaurant Business credited Brown for the turnaround of the Arby’s business.[12]
Inspire Brands (2018–present)[edit]
In February 2018, Brown and Neal Aronson of Roark Capital Group founded Inspire Brands when Arby’s completed its acquisition of Buffalo Wild Wings for $2.9 billion.[13]
In December 2018, under Brown’s leadership, Inspire completed its acquisition of SONIC Drive-In for $2.3 billion.[14]
In October 2019, Inspire completed its acquisition of sandwich chain Jimmy John’s.[15]
Inspire Brands on October 25, 2020, announced that it was buying Dunkin' Brands for $11.3 billion.
[16][17] The acquisition was completed on December 15, 2020.[18]
Boards and awards[edit]
Brown was named by Business Insider in 2019 as one of the 100 People Transforming Business.[19] He was also named a 2018 Norman Award recipient by Nation’s Restaurant News, a 2018 Silver Plate honoree by IFMA, the 2017 Restaurant Leader of the Year by Restaurant Business, and a 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year in Retail and Consumer Products in the Southeast by EY.[20]
Brown is a member of the board of directors of H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) and FOCUS Brands Inc.[21][22] Brown is on the boards of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the Georgia Tech Foundation.[23][24]
References[edit]
- ^ "The CEO who turned around Arby's says much of his success should be attributed to an advantage most CEOs don't have". Business Insider. February 22, 2018.
- ^ a b "Paul J Brown Chief Executive Officer, Arbys Restaurant Group Inc". Bloomberg. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ^ "Scheller College Undergraduate Student Interviews College alumnus Paul Brown, CEO of Inspire Brands". Scheller College of Business. November 26, 2018.
- ^ "Paul Brown: The Listener". Restaurant Business. March 14, 2017.
- ^ "Paul Brown Executive Profile". Atlanta Trend. May 31, 2016.
- ^ "Arby's do-or-die moment". Franchise Times. September 28, 2015.
- ^ "Arby's names Paul Brown CEO". Atlanta Business Chronicle. April 30, 2013.
- ^ "Arby's is betting $3.9 billion that its customers don't want fake meat". Fast Company. July 22, 2019.
- ^ "How humor saved Arby's and propelled it to the forefront of pop culture". CNBC. April 16, 2019.
- ^ "Before Buying Buffalo Wild Wings, Arby's CEO Talks Turning the Company Around". The Street. November 18, 2017.
- ^ "Great Place to Work® and FORTUNE Name Arby's One of the Best Workplaces for Women". MarketWatch. September 18, 2017.
- ^ "Arby's Paul Brown named Restaurant Leader of the Year". Restaurant Business. March 13, 2017.
- ^ "Buffalo Wild Wings to Be Acquired by Arby's in Deal Worth $2.9 Billion". The Wall Street Journal. November 28, 2017.
- ^ "Burger chain Sonic to be acquired by Arby's parent company in $2.3 billion deal". CNBC. September 15, 2018.
- ^ "Arby's owner will be 'very selective' about its next move after closing Jimmy John's deal". CNBC. October 21, 2019.
- ^ Fontanella-Khan, James; Aliaj, Ortenca; Gray, Alistair; Temple, Patrick (October 25, 2020). "Dunkin' closes in on $9bn sale to Inspire Brands". Financial Times. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ Haddon, Heather (30 October 2020). "Inspire Brands to Acquire Dunkin' Brands Group for $11.3 Billion Including Debt". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. OCLC 781541372. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ "Inspire Brands Completes Acquisition of Dunkin' Brands". www.businesswire.com. 2020-12-15. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
- ^ "INTRODUCING: The 10 people transforming retail". Business Insider. April 15, 2019.
- ^ "2018 Norman Award winner: Paul Brown". Nation's Restaurant News. September 27, 2018.
- ^ "Paul J. Brown". H&R Block. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- ^ "Paul Brown". Restaurant Recovery. December 1, 2019.
- ^ "Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Board of Trustees". Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- ^ "Arby's CEO: 'Best results are often produced by a messy process'". Business Insider. May 2, 2014.