Dive Brief:
- GoTo Foods has appointed Omer Gajial as its CEO, the company said Tuesday in an emailed press release.
- Gajial is replacing Jim Holthouser, who has served as GoTo Foods’ CEO since early 2020 and is retiring on Tuesday, according to a post from his LinkedIn profile.
- Gajial most recently served as chief merchandising and digital officer at the grocery giant Albertsons, where he oversaw transformative initiatives in areas of merchandising, digital strategy, marketing, loyalty and retail media across the chain’s 2,000 locations.
Dive Insight:
Gajial has over two decades of consumer-retail expertise, but is essentially a restaurant industry outsider. That doesn’t mean Gajial won’t be successful in his new position, however. Holthouser, who came from the hotel industry, said in a LinkedIn post that coming into a new business sector was a humbling experience. Holthouser helped GoTo Foods rebrand from Focus Brands and oversaw the holding company’s aggressive growth strategy, including co-branding.
“[GoTo Foods’] brands have a rich legacy of delighting customers worldwide, and I look forward to working alongside our talented team and franchisees to build on that success,” Gajial said in a statement. “Together, we will continue to focus on product innovation, enhancing the guest experiences, scaling efficiencies and driving franchise profitability.”
Gajial’s experience with technology and retail companies could prove instrumental, especially his experience with global markets. He held various leadership positions at technology and retail companies like Amazon, where he oversaw category development and marketplace operations for North America. He also worked at PepsiCo, where he led the company’s global strategy and marketing in major markets like the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and North America.
GoTo Foods has over 7,100 restaurants in 50 states and 70 countries and territories.
