News
Jack in the Box promotes two
November 16, 2009
Jack in the Box Inc. has announced that vice president of operations Leonard A. Comma will be promoted to senior vice president and chief operating officer, effective Feb. 1, 2010. Succeeding Comma will be Elana M. Hobson, who is currently the company's division VP of operations initiatives. The company had previously announced in September that longtime executive Paul L. Schultz will retire as president and COO on Jan. 31, 2010.
As COO, Comma will be responsible for the operations of all company and franchised Jack in the Box restaurants, as well as restaurant development. Comma joined Jack in the Box Inc. in 2001 as director of convenience-store & fuel operations for the company's proprietary chain of Quick Stuff convenience stores, which was sold earlier this year. In 2006, he was promoted to regional vice president of the company's Southern California region.Since 2007, Comma has served as VP of operations, Division II, for Jack in the Box.
Prior to joining Jack in the Box, Comma was a regional manager for ExxonMobil. He has an MBA from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and a bachelor's degree in finance from Drexel University in Philadelphia.
"Lenny has extensive experience in restaurant and retail operations, including franchising, and has excelled in the diverse roles he's held at Jack in the Box. In his current position, he has been instrumental in improving the cost structure of our field operations and has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the successful execution of other key strategic initiatives," Chairman and CEO Linda A. Lang, who will take on the additional role of president when Schultz retires, said.
Upon Comma's promotion, Hobson, a 32-year Jack in the Box veteran, will take over as the new VP of operations for Division II. In her current role as DVP of operations initiatives, Hobson works closely with corporate and field leadership to ensure the timely and successful achievement of strategic goals related to a range of operations initiatives, from incentive programs to guest-service efforts.
She joined the company in 1977 as a team member at a restaurant in Hayward, Calif. After serving as team leader and assistant manager, she was promoted to restaurant manager of a Jack in the Box in San Lorenzo, Calif., in 1981. In the years that followed, Hobson took on positions of increasing responsibility, including area manager, VP of the company's North Coast region and DVP of guest service systems. Hobson is a graduate of California State University, East Bay in Hayward with an MBA and bachelor's degree in finance.
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