News

Arby's names its former CMO to president's post

Arby's President Jim Taylor. (Photo provided)

August 27, 2019

Following news early this morning that Papa John's had hired Inspire Brands Arby's President Rob Lynch, Arby's announced that it was naming Jim Taylor to lead the roast beef QSR. Like Lynch, Taylor also was promoted to the job from his former responsibility as Arby's CMO, a news release said. 

"One of the many strengths of Inspire is our development of future leaders, and we are thrilled to have Jim lead Arby's," Inspire Brands CEO Paul Brown said in the release. "During Jim's time at Arby's, he has helped introduce one of the most dynamic and innovative product pipelines in our industry and has a proven track record of driving strong sales for the brand."

Prior to his most recent role as CMO, Taylor served as senior vice president of Brand Advertising and Activation, as well as senior vice president of Product Development and Innovation. Before joining Arby's, Taylor was Darden Restaurants senior vice president of Enterprise Strategy, Innovation and Marketing, among other positions. Taylor began his career at P&G, where he served in various finance and marketing leadership capacities during his 15-year tenure with the company.

"It's an honor to lead Arby's and continue to build on our strong foundation," Taylor said in the release. "Over the past several years, we've achieved record-level sales and unit growth, welcomed millions of new guests to our restaurants, and developed an incredibly strong franchisee community. I look forward to continuing this momentum to help Arby's reach even greater heights."

Brown also credited former Arby's President Rob Lynch as "a great business partner for the past six years and a key member of the leadership team as we worked to transform Arby's." 

Arby's parent company, Inspire Brands' portfolio includes more than 8,400 Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, SONIC Drive-In and Rusty Taco locations worldwide.