Dive Brief:
- Krispy Kreme appointed Suk Nicholas to the newly created C-suite role of chief commercial officer and promoted Lori Suess to chief people officer, effective Monday, according to a press release.
- Nicholas, a 15-year Krispy Kreme vet, will lead the company’s fresh delivery business globally and in the U.S. Suess has been with the company since 2020 and was appointed head of people and culture earlier this year.
- These promotions are part of Krispy Kreme’s commitment to develop leadership talent from within the organization, CEO Joshua Charlesworth said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
These latest appointments may help Krispy Kreme further its effort to improve its profitability.
The chain has been focused on its turnaround strategy since 2025. That strategy is meant to pay down debt, improve the profitability of its operations, and shift the chain toward a more asset-light business by refranchising units around the world. In March, the chain closed a $90 million transaction with joint venture partner WKS Restaurant Group, in which WKS bought 23 company-owned units and agreed to develop new units in the western United States.
Nicholas originally joined Krispy Kreme U.K. and Ireland in 2010, before moving to the global team in 2023. She has held various leadership roles in sales and global commercial strategy. Prior to Krispy Kreme, Nicholas worked at L’Oréal and Barclays, per her LinkedIn profile.
In her new role, Nicholas will focus on development and execution of enterprise sales to help accelerate growth. She will also work on developing key partnerships and revenue opportunities, as well as strengthening customer relationships and building “world-class commercial capabilities across markets,” per the press release.
“[Nicholas] has played a pivotal role in building and scaling Krispy Kreme's fresh delivery business and expanding our commercial capabilities,” Charlesworth said in a statement. “She is a growth-oriented leader with deep commercial expertise and a proven track record of delivering results.”
Suess has nearly two decades of human resources experience and has worked at companies like Newell Brands, Electrolux and Lockheed Martin, according to her LinkedIn profile. In her new role at Krispy Kreme, Suess will oversee the company’s global people, culture, talent development and employee engagement efforts, per the press release.
“[Suess] has made a tremendous impact on our culture and has been instrumental in advancing our people strategy,” added Charlesworth.
