Wendy's/Arby's to focus on international growth
October 11, 2009
Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. has announced organizational changes in its international subsidiary as part of the company's strategic initiative to further develop the Wendy's and Arby's brands in markets outside of North America.
Industry veteran Andy Skehan has been hired as senior vice president of Wendy's/Arby's International. Skehan will report to Darrell van Ligten, senior vice president of strategic development for Wendy's/Arby's Group.
"We recently completed extensive market analysis that shows we have the potential for more than 8,000 restaurants outside of North America," said Wendy's/Arby's Group president and CEO Roland Smith. "We are excited that Andy will lead our International team and we're confident that his restaurant industry and operations expertise will help us capitalize on this important growth opportunity."
Skehan most recently served as president of Europe, Africa and Middle East for Quizno's, where he was responsible for restructuring and growing the sandwich chain's business throughout the region. Previously, Skehan held leadership positions with Churchill Downs Inc., where he was chief operating officer, as well as PepsiCo Restaurants International and Nabisco-Europe.
In addition, Wendy's/Arby's Group announced today that it will consolidate its international subsidiary in Atlanta. This will take place over the next several months as Wendy's/Arby's International transitions its leadership team and operations to the Wendy's/Arby's Group corporate headquarters in Atlanta.