Management

The information provided below about Chipotle is intended to provide additional information for our investor community.  Chipotle does not warrant that this information is full or complete and investors should rely on their own resources for complete research. 

Brian Niccol
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
 

Brian Niccol is Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer for Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG). He assumed the role of Chairman in March 2020, and under his leadership as Chief Executive Officer, a role he’s held since March 2018, Chipotle has seen accelerated sales growth driven by comparable sales growth and new unit openings. Driving the brand’s purpose to Cultivate a Better World, Mr. Niccol has focused on delivering operational excellence, increasing brand equity, expanding restaurants, growing digital access, fostering innovation, and encouraging engagement with employees and consumers.

A leader in the food industry, Chipotle has received global recognition and honors during Mr. Niccol’s tenure including being named to TIME’s Most Influential Companies, Fortune’s Most Admired Companies, Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity, Fast Company’s The World’s Most Innovative Companies, as well as Newsweek’s America’s Most Loved Companies and America’s Most Responsible Companies.

Mr. Niccol has been placed on notable lists including Fortune’s ‘Businessperson of the Year’, Bloomberg’s ‘People who Defined 2019’ (The Bloomberg 50), Barron’s Top CEOs, Comparably’s ‘Best CEO’s and Best CEOs for Women and Diversity, as well as named ‘Leader of the Year’ by Restaurant Business magazine, Nation’s Restaurant News’ The Power List, and a ‘Distinguished Alumni’ by University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Niccol served as Chief Executive Officer of Taco Bell, a division of Yum! Brands. During his tenure at Taco Bell, Mr. Niccol was Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer and President. Mr. Niccol also held several executive positions at Pizza Hut, another division of Yum! Brands, including General Manager and Chief Marketing Officer. Before joining Yum! Brands, Mr. Niccol spent 10 years at Procter & Gamble, serving in various brand management positions.

Mr. Niccol currently serves on the board of directors of KB Home, one of the largest homebuilders in the U.S., and Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, Chipotle’s nonprofit organization. He previously served on the board of Harley-Davidson. Mr. Niccol holds an undergraduate degree from Miami University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Chris Brandt

Chief Brand Officer

Chris Brandt, 54, serves as Chief Brand Officer as well as oversees real estate and development. Prior to joining Chipotle in April 2018, Mr. Brandt was Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of Bloomin’ Brands, Inc., a casual dining company, from May 2016 to December 2017; Chief Brand Officer/Chief Marketing Officer for Taco Bell, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., a global restaurant company, from May 2013 to May 2016; and Senior Director and Vice President of Marketing for Taco Bell from November 2010 to May 2013. Mr. Brandt holds an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA and a BA in Economics from University of California San Diego.

 

Curt Garner

Chief Customer and Technology Officer

Curt Garner, 53, serves as Chief Customer and Technology Officer. Mr. Garner joined Chipotle in November 2015 as Chief Information Officer and has been instrumental in developing Chipotle’s digital platform and the integration of technology across the organization as well as ensuring data security.  Prior to joining Chipotle, Mr. Garner worked for Starbucks Corporation, a global coffee roaster and retailer, for 17 years, most recently serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Mr. Garner has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from The Ohio State University.

John R. Hartung

Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

John R. (Jack) Hartung, 65, serves as our Chief Financial and Administrative Officer and has served as our Chief Financial Officer since 2002. In addition to having responsibility for all of our financial reporting, tax and investor relations functions, Mr. Hartung also oversees strategy, supply chain, and safety & asset protection.  He joined Chipotle after spending 18 years at McDonald’s Corp., a quick serve restaurant company, where he held a variety of management positions, most recently as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of its Partner Brands Group. Mr. Hartung serves on the Board of Directors of  Honest Company, Inc. and Zocdoc, Inc. and serves on the Audit Committee of both companies.  Mr. Hartung has a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and economics as well as an MBA from Illinois State University.

Laurie Schalow

Chief Corporate Affairs and Food Safety Officer

Laurie Schalow, 55, serves as our Chief Corporate Affairs and Food Safety Officer. Prior to joining Chipotle in August 2017, Ms. Schalow served as Vice President of Public Affairs for Yum! Brands, a global restaurant company, overseeing Global Corporate Social Responsibility, PR, Crisis Management, Social Listening and Community Diversity programs for the 44,000 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants in 140 countries. Ms. Schalow holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve and Wayne State University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Restaurant Association.

Scott Boatwright

Chief Operating Officer

Scott Boatwright, 50, serves as Chief Operating Officer overseeing restaurant operations and field People Experience. Prior to joining Chipotle in May 2017, Mr. Boatwright spent 18 years with Arby’s Restaurant Group, a quick serve restaurant company, in various leadership positions, including for the last six years as the Senior Vice President of Operations, where he was responsible for the performance of over 1,700 Arby’s restaurants in numerous states. Mr. Boatwright holds an MBA from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.

ROGER THEODOREDIS

Chief Legal Officer

Roger Theodoredis, 64, serves as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel as well as oversees People Experience for the restaurant support centers. Prior to joining Chipotle, Mr. Theodoredis was General Secretary of Danone North America, with responsibility for legal, public affairs, communications, scientific affairs and corporate security. He previously served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of The WhiteWave Foods Company, a food and beverage company, until its acquisition by Danone, S.A. in April 2017, having been appointed as General Counsel of WhiteWave Foods in 2005. Prior to joining WhiteWave Foods, Mr. Theodoredis served as Division General Counsel for Mead Johnson Nutritionals, a subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb, and in a number of legal roles for Chiquita Brands International. He holds a J.D. from Boston University School of Law.

Ilene Eskenazi

Chief Human Resources Officer

Ilene Eskenazi serves as Chief Human Resources Officer. Prior to joining Chipotle in 2023, Ms. Eskenazi was at Petco Health and Wellness Company, where she served as Chief Legal and Human Resources Officer, overseeing compensation and benefits, human resources operations, talent management, as well as all legal matters. Before that, Ms. Eskenazi was the Global General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer at Boardriders, Inc. (previously Quiksilver, Inc.). Prior to that, Ms. Eskenazi held the post of Chief Legal Officer and Senior Vice President of Talent Operations and Performance at True Religion Apparel, Inc. Ms. Eskenazi also held senior leadership positions at Red Bull North America, Inc. and The Wonderful Company.

Ms. Eskenazi holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles’ School of Law as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Michigan.

Kerry Bridges

Vice President of Food Safety

Kerry Bridges is the Vice President of Food Safety at Chipotle Mexican Grill. Ms. Bridges oversees food safety standards, quality assurance and procedures.

Prior to joining Chipotle, Ms. Bridges oversaw supplier food safety for the world’s largest food retailer, Wal-Mart, serving over 200 million customers around the world on a weekly basis. During her time at Wal-Mart, Kerry’s food safety oversight included tens of thousands of Wal Mart’s, Neighborhood Market’s, and Sam’s Clubs food suppliers, in addition to researching and assessing new and emerging food safety issues and handling regulatory compliance. Prior to Wal-Mart, Ms. Bridges food safety career also included roles with TESCO and Jack in the Box, Inc.

Ms. Bridges is the past president of the International Association for the Southern California Affiliate of Food Protection (IAFP) and former board member of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GSFI).  She attended California Polytechnic State University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Food Science.

Carlos Londono

Vice President of Supply Chain

Carlos Londono is the Vice President and Head of Supply Chain for Chipotle Mexican Grill. He is responsible for all aspects of supply chain including direct and indirect procurement, logistics, planning and continuous improvement.

Prior to Chipotle, Mr. Londono was the global Vice President of Supply Chain for Owens-Illinois Inc. (O-I), a $6 Billion global manufacturing company that specializes in glass container products for industries such as food, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. Before that, he led the Coffee, Tea, Food and Merchandising supply chain area for Starbucks Coffee Company. Mr. Londono has also led the integrated supply chain planning functions at Kraft Heinz Company and was responsible for developing their core supply chain capabilities and global strategy.

Mr. Londono received his industrial engineering degree from Universidad Eafit in Medellín, Colombia, and his MBA from Wake Forest University in North Carolina. He is fluent in Spanish, English, German, and Mandarin.