Staffing

International Dairy Queen brings on Art D'Elia as COO

Photo: International Dairy Queen

March 19, 2025

International Dairy Queen has hired former Domino's Pizza chief marketing officer as its COO, U.S. and Canada. He will lead a team of nearly 275 DQ employees in operations, training and marketing to achieve the company's financial objectives, grow franchisee sales and profits, and maintain and grow the strength and reputation of the DQ system, according to a press release.

"Art's strategic vision for the DQ business and strong leadership in brand strategy, marketing, operations and system sales growth position him well to lead our business in the U.S. and Canada," Troy Bader, president and CEO at International Dairy Queen, said in the press release. "His proven record of success in the quick-service restaurant industry paired with compelling marketing leadership in consumer packaged goods will elevate our franchise business to the next level and deliver on our vision to become the world's favorite quick-service restaurant."

Prior to joining IDQ, D'Elia spent seven years at Domino's Pizza where he led the international business and served as chief marketing officer. He also was chief marketing officer at Danone Dairy UBN (United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) and held several marketing, corporate strategy and development roles at PepsiCo.

"It is a tremendous honor to join the DQ team and lead the business in the U.S. and Canada," D'Elia said in the press release. "I have long admired the iconic DQ brand and I am energized by the potential to grow the business, partner with world-class DQ franchisees, and introduce even more consumers to the DQ experience."

International Dairy Queen, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the parent company of American Dairy Queen Corporation and Dairy Queen Canada, Inc. Through its subsidiaries, IDQ develops, licenses and services a system of more than 7,700 DQ restaurants in more than 20 countries.