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Long John Silver's names new food innovation leader

May 9, 2013

Long John Silver's has named Marie Zhang as its new chief food innovation officer. Zhang will be responsible for menu innovation, new product development, commercialization, food safety, product quality and management of the company's supply chain.

Prior to joining Long John Silver's, Zhang spent nearly nine years at Atlanta-based HoneyBaked Ham where she led all aspects of the company's supply chain including quality, new product innovation, commercialization and food safety.

"Marie is a terrific addition to our incredibly experienced leadership team," said Mike Kern, CEO, Long John Silver's. "She is very focused on managing our supply chain to be cost-efficient and developing new products that drive increased profitability for our restaurants."

Zhang's experience also includes ConAgra Foods and Peer Foods Group, Inc., where she was director of Quality Assurance and Research & Development. Zhang holds dual master's degrees in Food Science and Chemistry from Iowa State University. She completed her undergraduate work at Jilin University earning a bachelor's degree in Inorganic Chemistry.

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