Dublin / OH. (twc) The Wendy´s Company announced the appointment of Kurt Kane, 43, to the newly created position of Chief Concept Officer, responsible for all North America Marketing and Innovation efforts for the «Wendy´s» brand, effective May 04. Kane will report to President and CEO Emil Brolick and serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
Most recently, Kane served as Global Chief Marketing and Food Innovation Officer at Pizza Hut Inc. In this role, he was responsible for the development of the strategic direction for Pizza Hut, as well as the execution of advertising, media planning, and product innovation across 13’600 restaurants in 87 countries. Kane started his tenure with Pizza Hut in 2008 as VP of Marketing, and held roles of increasing responsibility, including VP of National Marketing and Communications, and U.S. Chief Marketing Officer.
«We are thrilled to welcome Kurt to Wendy´s», said President and CEO Emil Brolick. «His expertise in brand building, product innovation and people development will help accelerate Wendy´s brand transformation as we seek to build a deeper connection with our customers. The role of Chief Concept Officer will allow us to elevate our marketing and innovation capabilities to secure our «A Cut Above» brand position and drive long-term sustainable growth for the Wendy´s brand».
Prior to his time at Pizza Hut, Kane served in marketing roles with some of America´s leading brands, including Frito-Lay Inc., where he led the reinvention of the «Doritos» brand; Molson Coors Brewing Company, where he led the seven brand Molson portfolio for four years, including its turnaround; and Procter + Gamble, where he led the repositioning of the Sunny Delight brand. Kane has received numerous industry honors, including being named to PR Week´s «Top 40 Marketing Innovators to Watch» and the World Marketing Congress´s «Top 100 Most Talented Global Marketing Leaders».
Kane began his career as an air defense artillery officer with the U.S. Army´s 4th Infantry Division, after graduating with a B.S. in Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He received an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.
