News

AFC names Lynch, Bower to Popeyes leadership

February 5, 2008

ATLANTA — AFC Enterprises Inc., franchisor and operator of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, has announced the appointments of Richard Lynch as chief marketing officer, effective March 1, 2008, and Ralph Bower as chief operations officer of its Popeyes brand, effective immediately.

"Dick and Ralph are ideally suited to help accelerate the performance of Popeyes. Both are highly regarded leaders in their area of expertise and bring an impressive record of accomplishment to our leadership team," said Cheryl Bachelder, AFC Enterprises CEO. "Serving as interim CMO for the last few months, Dick has already had a significant influence on our brand strategy. Ralph is an experienced operator in the chicken QSR and franchise industries that will quickly impact our restaurant operations."

Lynch, 53, will join AFC following his consultancy as interim CMO and after a career in brand consulting and consumer strategy. He served as principal of GO LLC, a marketing consulting firm specializing in restaurant and food retail from 2003 to 2008, where he developed brand strategy and innovation plans for concepts including Burger King, Ruby Tuesday and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Bower, 45, joins AFC with extensive experience in general management and operations in the retail food service industry. Most recently, he was the KFC operations leader responsible for more than 900 KFC franchised restaurants in the western United States. Prior to this position, he led KFC company operations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. He also directed the guest satisfaction function for all Yum Brands restaurants.