Dive Brief:
- GoTo Foods has appointed a slate of executives to new positions or expanded roles, including hiring Lucy Brady, formerly president of grocery and snacks at Conagra, as president of Jamba, the company said in a Monday press release.
- Nathan Baldwin, who previously served as Auntie Anne’s president, now oversees Cinnabon, Carvel and co-brands in an expanded role as president of Specialty Brands. Francisco Bram, chief growth officer, added the role of president of Moe’s Southwest Grill, while Biplav Misra was named chief digital and technology officer.
- The appointments are part of GoTo Foods’ plan to strengthen its leadership structure to allow the company to “remain focused on what matters most: growing category-leading brands, supporting franchisee success, and delivering experiences that keep guests coming back,” CEO Omer Gajial said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
Brady’s appointment at Jamba comes at a critical time for the brand, which is currently experimenting with expanding its food menu.
During the summer, the chain added several sandwiches and cheese melts at participating restaurants in Colorado, Nevada and Arizona for a limited time. In September, the chain expanded its beverage platform with the addition of Cloud Whips. Last year, the chain also unveiled a digital-friendly prototype meant to reduce costs and refresh the brand’s image.
Brady has experience “leading and transforming large consumer businesses,” GoTo Foods said. In her previous position at Conagra, she oversaw a $5 billion portfolio of over 60 brands. She also worked at McDonald’s in various senior leadership roles that included strategy, innovation and digital customer experience. During her nearly six years at McDonald’s, she helped build major growth platforms such as MyMcDonald’s Rewards, McDelivery and digital ordering.
At Jamba, she will lead the chain’s strategy and operations, work closely with franchisees and restaurant teams to strengthen the core business, improve guest relevance and find new areas of sustainable growth.
GoTo Foods’ other executive changes are meant to support ongoing expansion at its other key brands. Baldwin, who joined GoTo Foods in 2025, brings over 25 years of restaurant industry experience to his expanded role leading specialty brands, which incorporates various brands with complementary operating models, footprints and development opportunities. Baldwin has spent the bulk of his career in various leadership roles at Chili’s, per his LinkedIn profile.
Bram, who has over 17 years of experience in brand strategy, digital marketing and customer growth, will continue to serve as chief growth officer overseeing function, including loyalty, marketing, consumer research, analytics, PR and social media. He will also lead Moe’s effort to overhaul its brand positioning, per the press release. Moe’s reimagining includes changes to the menu and restaurant experience, alongside franchisee growth. Bram has worked at Chewy, Albertsons Companies, Uber and Siemens.
Misra’s expanded role now formally includes GoTo Food’s technology function, which he has overseen on an interim basis for the last few months in addition to his digital and off-premise responsibilities. Having one leader oversee digital, off-premise and technology will allow for the restaurant company to deploy technology faster, ensuring that guests and franchisees can better engage across all of GoTo Food’s seven brands. Misra has over 20 years of experience related to digital businesses, e-commerce platforms and enterprise technologies, including working at Albertsons Companies and Amazon.
GoTo Foods has undergone several other leadership changes since December, when Gajial succeeded Jim Holthouser, who retired. In February, GoTo Foods hired Brett Ubl as chief financial officer and Bram as chief growth officer.
