Staffing

Panera names former McDonald's exec as COO

Panera Bread has named a former McDonald's president, Debbie Roberts, as EVP and COO. Provided.

September 8, 2020

Panera Bread has named a former McDonald's president, Debbie Roberts, as EVP and COO.

"We are thrilled to welcome Debbie to Panera and looking forward to her bringing her strong record of cross-functional partnership, results-driven engagement, and especially, her focus on people as the core of operational excellence," Panera CEO Niren Chaudhary said in a company press release. "As the brand continues to grow and transform, Debbie's experience will bring fresh perspective and unparalleled industry experience to our executive team."

Roberts joins the Panera team after three decades at McDonald's, where she was most recently East Zone president with responsibility for 7,000 restaurants in 11 regions. Roberts' hire is the latest addition to Panera's leadership team, which has expanded to bring on industry veterans from world-class companies including Kraft, Yum! Brands, Unilever, Pepsi, CVS, Accenture and Coca-Cola.

"Joining an iconic brand like Panera is incredibly exciting," Roberts said. "I look forward to building on the team's accomplishments and helping to simplify and innovate our operations as we navigate this unique time in our industry."

Panera has 2,128 bakery-cafes in 48 states and in Ontario, Canada, operating under the Panera Bread or Saint Louis Bread Co. names.