Wingstop Restaurants Inc. Investor Relations

Wingstop Logo

Executive Management

Ms. Crump-Caine is our Chair of the Board and has been a member of our Board since January 2017. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of OutsideIn Consulting, an organizational performance and strategy development consulting firm. Ms. Crump-Caine brings 30 years of restaurant industry experience having previously served as Executive Vice President of the Worldwide Operations for McDonald’s, where her responsibility also included global supply chain, real estate development, and innovation worldwide. Prior to this role, she held numerous executive level positions including Executive Vice President U.S., Restaurant Systems and Operations. Ms. Crump-Caine brings substantial public-company governance experience having served on several public company and nonprofit company boards.  Her current directorships include Thrivent Financial and Advocate Aurora Health Care (previously Advocate Health Care, where she was past chair). Her former directorships include G&K Services and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. Ms. Crump-Caine also serves as a mentor with Merryck & Co., a global firm providing mentoring services for senior executives.

Ms. Crump-Caine’s far-reaching operational experience, including in various senior positions with McDonald’s Corporation, provides her with valuable and relevant experience in understanding complex operating systems, training, and brand development, as well as extensive industry knowledge. In addition, public company board service provides her with the experience, qualifications, and skills to serve as a director.

 

Mr. Anand has been a member of our Board since August 2018. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Igniting Business Growth, a business consulting company. Mr. Anand retired from Molson Coors in November 2019, where, prior to his retirement, he served as Chief Growth Officer since 2016 and President and Chief Executive Officer from December 2009 to October 2016. Before joining Molson Coors, Mr. Anand held a variety of positions at The Coca Cola Company, most recently as president of Coca Cola’s Philippine business from 2007 to 2009. He also served as vice president of Coca Cola’s Global Commercial Leadership from 2004 to 2007 and prior to that as vice president of global brands strategy. Mr. Anand served on the board of directors of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. (NASDAQ: PLKI) from November 2010 to 2017. He also served in various senior marketing strategy roles with Unilever in India from 1980 to 1996.

Mr. Anand is an experienced executive leader and has significant public company board experience as well as restaurant experience in the chicken category from his directorship at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc., where he also served on the compensation committee.  Further, Mr. Anand possesses a unique skillset, including branding, growth, and international experience, and he also adds to the diversity of our Board, all of which provide him with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.

 

Mr. Goebel has been a member of our Board since November 2017. He currently serves as Lead Director of Jack In the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK), and as a board member of QuickChek, a privately held gas/convenience food company. Mr. Goebel has been a partner and faculty member for Merryck & Co. Ltd., a worldwide firm that provides peer-to-peer mentoring services for senior business executives, since May 2008. In 2008, he became the founding principal and President of Santoku, Inc., a private company that operates a fast-casual pizza concept under the name Pie Five Pizza Company. He also served as acting President and Chief Executive Officer of Mr. Goodcents Franchise Systems, Inc., the franchisor of Goodcents Deli Fresh Subs, from 2010 until December 2014. From 2001- 2007, he served in various executive positions at Applebee’s International, Inc., including as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2006-2007, during which time it operated nearly 2,000 restaurants in the United States and abroad. Prior to that, Mr. Goebel was President of Summit Management, Inc., a consulting group specializing in executive development and strategic planning. Prior to that, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Finest Foodservice, LLC, a Boston Chicken/Boston Market franchise that he founded and co-owned, which was responsible for developing 80 restaurants within a seven-state area from 1994-1998.

Mr. Goebel’s more than 40 years of experience in the retail, food service, and hospitality industries provides him with extensive business, operational, management, and leadership development experience, as well as unique insights into restaurant operations, restaurant and concept development, supply chain management, franchising, executive development, risk assessment, risk management, succession planning, executive compensation, and strategic planning that qualify him to serve as a director.

 

Mr. Hislop has been a member of our Board since October 2011. He has served as Chairman of Corner Bakery, a national bakery-cafe chain, since February 2006 and served as its Chief Executive Officer from February 2006 until October 2015. In addition, Mr. Hislop has been the Chairman of Il Fornaio since 2001, served as its Chief Executive Officer from 1998 until October 2015, and prior to that, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Il Fornaio beginning in 1995. Prior to Il Fornaio, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Chevys Mexican Restaurants, where he built the company’s infrastructure in preparation for taking it public. He has also served in a number of operating positions at El Torito Mexican Restaurants and T.G.I. Friday’s. In 2010, Mr. Hislop was recognized by the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association with the Silver Plate award, which pays tribute to the most outstanding and innovative talents in foodservice operations, and in 2013, he received Nation’s Restaurant News’ Golden Chain Award, an honor bestowed on those representing the very best that the restaurant industry has to offer.

Mr. Hislop’s experience as a chief executive officer and chief operating officer in the restaurant industry and vast knowledge of franchise operations provide him with valuable and relevant experience in operations, brand management, consumer strategy, and leadership of complex organizations, as well as extensive industry knowledge, and provide him with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.

Ms. Lavelle has over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting, including 12 years in the restaurant and food service industry, and served on the board of directors of Sonic Corp. from January 2012 until December 2018. Previously, Ms. Lavelle served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. from December 2004 until July 2010. Prior to that, she was Global Senior Vice President for Finance and Chief Accounting Officer of LSG Sky Chefs, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Airlines, from January 2003 until August 2004, and also served in various other management positions for LSG Sky Chefs from March 1998 until January 2003. She began her career at Arthur Andersen LLP where for more than 10 years she served as Senior Audit Manager in charge of administration of audits and other professional engagements. Ms. Lavelle has also served as a director of Jones Lang LaSalle, a global financial and professional services firm.

Ms. Lavelle has significant experience as a chief financial officer and in other senior executive leadership roles in restaurants and other companies as well as experience serving as a director for a publicly traded restaurant company. She has knowledge of complex financial and accounting matters that provide her with valuable and relevant experience in corporate administration, strategic planning, corporate finance, financial reporting, mergers and acquisitions, and leadership of complex organizations, and provide her with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.

 

 

Mr. Madati has been a member of our Board since March 2017. Mr. Madati previously served as Head of Content Partnerships of Twitter, Inc. and Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc., that operates the leading cable channel targeting young African-American audiences from 2014 to late 2017. Prior to that, he was Head, Entertainment & Media, Global Marketing Solutions for Facebook, an online social media and social networking service, since 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Madati was Vice President, Audience Experience & Engagement, at CNN Worldwide, a television news channel, since 2008, where he helped build the network’s digital presence and served as a change agent for how the organization functioned and interacted with its audience. Prior to that, he served in various leadership roles with Community Connect, a social-networking company, Octagon Worldwide, a leader in sports entertainment marketing, and BMW of North America, a worldwide automaker.

 

Mr. Madati’s experience as a head of content partnerships, chief digital officer, and other senior executive leadership roles working with media companies across a broad spectrum of industries, and knowledge of complex marketing and audience engagement matters provide him with valuable and relevant experience in digital media, strategic planning, marketing, and leadership of complex organizations, and provide him with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.

 

Mr. McDonald has been a member of our Board since May 2016. From 2003 to 2017, he served as an officer of Kohl’s Corporation, where he oversaw financial planning and analysis, investor relations, financial reporting, accounting operations, tax, treasury, non-merchandise purchasing, credit, and capital investment. He was promoted to Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in 2010 and to the principal officer position of Chief Financial Officer in 2015. Prior to joining Kohl’s, Mr. McDonald served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Earlier in his career, he held several positions of increasing responsibility at Target Corporation. Mr. McDonald has been a member of the board of directors of Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) since May 2019.

 

Mr. McDonald’s experience as a chief financial officer and in other senior executive leadership roles working with publicly traded consumer products companies, and knowledge of complex financial matters provide him with valuable and relevant experience in corporate administration, strategic planning, corporate finance, financial reporting, mergers and acquisitions, and leadership of complex organizations, and provide him with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.

 

 

Michael Skipworth has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and board director since March 2022 and previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer since August 2021. He joined Wingstop in December 2014 and held leadership roles in finance and accounting, serving as our Chief Financial Officer until August 2021. Prior to joining Wingstop, Michael served as Vice President, Corporate Controller, at Cardinal Logistics Holdings, LLC, where he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Finance and Accounting, serving in that role until he joined Wingstop. Previously, Michael was part of the audit and assurance practice for KPMG LLP.

 

Michael’s extensive experience in the restaurant industry, including his current service as our Chief Executive Officer, as well as his previous service as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, provide him with significant knowledge and understanding of the industry and our business.

 

 

 

Ms. Smith has been a member of our Board since July 2022. She has served as CEO at Taskrabbit, a global digital platform owned by Ingka (IKEA) that connects people seeking help with household tasks such as furniture assembly, handy work and moving services with those who can provide such assistance, since August 2020. Prior to her current role, she was Director, Head of Courier Operations at Uber from August 2019 to June 2020. From April 2015 to May 2018, Ms. Smith held several positions at Airbnb including Head of Business Operations, North America; Operations, Host Services; and Senior Lead, Host Growth. Ms. Smith has been a Council Board Member with Ingka US (IKEA) since April 2022.

 

Ms. Smith’s experience as a chief executive officer and head of operations at multiple eCommerce companies provides her with valuable and relevant global experience in operations, marketplace platforms, business development and strategy with broad-based skills spanning product, marketing, and operational execution, particularly for marketplaces, all of which provide her with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.

Ms. Lavelle has over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting, including 12 years in the restaurant and food service industry, and served on the board of directors of Sonic Corp. from January 2012 until December 2018. Previously, Ms. Lavelle served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. from December 2004 until July 2010. Prior to that, she was Global Senior Vice President for Finance and Chief Accounting Officer of LSG Sky Chefs, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Airlines, from January 2003 until August 2004, and also served in various other management positions for LSG Sky Chefs from March 1998 until January 2003. She began her career at Arthur Andersen LLP where for more than 10 years she served as Senior Audit Manager in charge of administration of audits and other professional engagements. Ms. Lavelle has also served as a director of Jones Lang LaSalle, a global financial and professional services firm.

Ms. Lavelle has significant experience as a chief financial officer and in other senior executive leadership roles in restaurants and other companies as well as experience serving as a director for a publicly traded restaurant company. She has knowledge of complex financial and accounting matters that provide her with valuable and relevant experience in corporate administration, strategic planning, corporate finance, financial reporting, mergers and acquisitions, and leadership of complex organizations, and provide her with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.

 

 

Mr. Madati has been a member of our Board since March 2017. Mr. Madati previously served as Head of Content Partnerships of Twitter, Inc. and Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc., that operates the leading cable channel targeting young African-American audiences from 2014 to late 2017. Prior to that, he was Head, Entertainment & Media, Global Marketing Solutions for Facebook, an online social media and social networking service, since 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Madati was Vice President, Audience Experience & Engagement, at CNN Worldwide, a television news channel, since 2008, where he helped build the network’s digital presence and served as a change agent for how the organization functioned and interacted with its audience. Prior to that, he served in various leadership roles with Community Connect, a social-networking company, Octagon Worldwide, a leader in sports entertainment marketing, and BMW of North America, a worldwide automaker.

 

Mr. Madati’s experience as a head of content partnerships, chief digital officer, and other senior executive leadership roles working with media companies across a broad spectrum of industries, and knowledge of complex marketing and audience engagement matters provide him with valuable and relevant experience in digital media, strategic planning, marketing, and leadership of complex organizations, and provide him with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.

 

Mr. McDonald has been a member of our Board since May 2016. From 2003 to 2017, he served as an officer of Kohl’s Corporation, where he oversaw financial planning and analysis, investor relations, financial reporting, accounting operations, tax, treasury, non-merchandise purchasing, credit, and capital investment. He was promoted to Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in 2010 and to the principal officer position of Chief Financial Officer in 2015. Prior to joining Kohl’s, Mr. McDonald served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Earlier in his career, he held several positions of increasing responsibility at Target Corporation. Mr. McDonald has been a member of the board of directors of Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) since May 2019.

 

Mr. McDonald’s experience as a chief financial officer and in other senior executive leadership roles working with publicly traded consumer products companies, and knowledge of complex financial matters provide him with valuable and relevant experience in corporate administration, strategic planning, corporate finance, financial reporting, mergers and acquisitions, and leadership of complex organizations, and provide him with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.

 

 

Michael Skipworth has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and board director since March 2022 and previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer since August 2021. He joined Wingstop in December 2014 and held leadership roles in finance and accounting, serving as our Chief Financial Officer until August 2021. Prior to joining Wingstop, Michael served as Vice President, Corporate Controller, at Cardinal Logistics Holdings, LLC, where he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Finance and Accounting, serving in that role until he joined Wingstop. Previously, Michael was part of the audit and assurance practice for KPMG LLP.

 

Michael’s extensive experience in the restaurant industry, including his current service as our Chief Executive Officer, as well as his previous service as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, provide him with significant knowledge and understanding of the industry and our business.

 

 

 

Ms. Smith has been a member of our Board since July 2022. She has served as CEO at Taskrabbit, a global digital platform owned by Ingka (IKEA) that connects people seeking help with household tasks such as furniture assembly, handy work and moving services with those who can provide such assistance, since August 2020. Prior to her current role, she was Director, Head of Courier Operations at Uber from August 2019 to June 2020. From April 2015 to May 2018, Ms. Smith held several positions at Airbnb including Head of Business Operations, North America; Operations, Host Services; and Senior Lead, Host Growth. Ms. Smith has been a Council Board Member with Ingka US (IKEA) since April 2022.

 

Ms. Smith’s experience as a chief executive officer and head of operations at multiple eCommerce companies provides her with valuable and relevant global experience in operations, marketplace platforms, business development and strategy with broad-based skills spanning product, marketing, and operational execution, particularly for marketplaces, all of which provide her with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.

MICHAEL J. SKIPWORTH

MICHAEL J. SKIPWORTH

PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
MARISA J. CARONA

MARISA J. CARONA

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF US FRANCHISE OPERATIONS OFFICER
GERRY MCGRATH

GERRY MCGRATH

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL COUNSEL & SECRETARY
ALEX KALEIDA

ALEX KALEIDA

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
DONNIE S. UPSHAW

DONNIE S. UPSHAW

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE RESTAURANTS & CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER
RAJ KAPOOR

RAJ KAPOOR

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL
CHRIS FALLON

CHRIS FALLON

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
MELISSA CASH

MELISSA CASH

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF BRAND OFFICER
PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

MICHAEL J. SKIPWORTH

Michael Skipworth serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Michael held various leadership roles in finance, accounting and operations, including President and Chief Operating Officer. Michael previously served as Vice President, Corporate Controller, at Cardinal Logistics Holdings, LLC, where he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Finance and Accounting, serving in that role until he joined Wingstop. Before Cardinal Logistics Holdings, Michael was part of the audit and assurance practice for KPMG LLP.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF US FRANCHISE OPERATIONS OFFICER

MARISA J. CARONA

Marisa Carona serves as Senior Vice President, Chief US Franchise Operations Officer. Previously, Marisa served as Chief Growth Officer, leading key areas of the business including corporate strategy, ESG, training and marketing. Previously, Marisa led strategic initiatives at 7-Eleven, with an emphasis on innovation. Marisa began her career as an engineer for Lockheed Martin where she held various operations leadership roles.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL COUNSEL & SECRETARY

GERRY MCGRATH

Gerry McGrath serves as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, bringing over 25 years of legal experience to the team. Gerry previously served as General Counsel for Fogo de Chão for more than five years and was a partner at Baker & McKenzie LLP for 14 years where he focused on domestic and international transactions, corporate governance and capital markets.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

ALEX KALEIDA

Alex Kaleida serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. Previously serving as Vice President, FP&A, Alex’s responsibilities grew over time to include leading and overseeing FP&A, internal audit and investor relations. Alex previously served in various finance and strategic leadership positions with increasing responsibility at The Wendy’s Company from January 2014 until March 2019, where he was promoted to Senior Director, Corporate FP&A and Operations Finance. Before Wendy’s, Alex held various positions at H.J. Heinz Company, where his responsibilities ranged from accounting to finance leadership roles across North American consumer products and food service business units as well as global strategy.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE RESTAURANTS & CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER

DONNIE S. UPSHAW

Donnie Upshaw serves as Senior Vice President, Corporate Restaurants and Chief People Officer. Donnie previously served as Vice President of People before being promoted to Senior Vice President of People in November 2019. Donnie previously served as Vice President of HR for Credit Corp for two years, where he led initiatives that improved financial performance, fostered internal talent and instilled a stronger focus on employee culture and overall satisfaction. Before Credit Corp, Donnie served as Director of HR and Compliance at Energy Dispatch a subsidiary of RaceTrac Petroleum Inc., where he spent 11 years.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL

RAJ KAPOOR

Raj Kapoor serves as Senior Vice President, President of International. Raj previously served on 7-Eleven’s leadership team, where he spent 28 years in a variety of roles including VP of International; SVP and Chief Information Officer; and SVP of Fresh Food, Beverage and Restaurants. During this tenure at 7-Eleven, Raj led their international expansion from 29,000 locations to 50,000 and was responsible for numerous functions including logistics, sales and merchandising, operations and more.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

CHRIS FALLON

Chris Fallon

Chris Fallon serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer. Chris previously served as Chief Information Officer at Fortune Brands Water Innovations. Chris spent 14 years of his career at Starbucks where he served in various roles including Senior Vice President of Technology, Corporate, Customer, Retail and Vice President of Technology, Supply Chain, Finance, Store Development. He has a track record of delivering impactful results and leading high-performing teams, industry-leading strategies, and global information technology initiatives.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF BRAND OFFICER

MELISSA CASH

Melissa Cash serves as our Senior Vice President, Chief Brand Officer. Previously she served as the Vice President, Global Brand Marketing, where she led the brand marketing, culinary/R&D, field marketing, international marketing and PR/communications teams. Before joining Wingstop, Melissa led strategic brand marketing and menu innovation initiatives at The Wendy’s Company, where she served on the brand marketing and customer activation teams in various leadership roles. Before Wendy’s, she worked at Chase as the AVP, marketing manager.Â