Dive Brief:
- Taco Bell promoted Taylor Montgomery to global chief brand officer, Luis Restrepo to chief marketing officer for the U.S. and Dane Mathews to global chief digital and technology officer, as part of a series of executive changes announced Monday.
- The chain also said the responsibilities of two executives, International CMO Amy Ellis Durini and Chief Legal Officer Julie Davis, would expand to include strategy and international development, respectively.
- The promotions are intended to strengthen Taco Bell’s brand, technology strategy and development, and follow a series of other executive shifts at Yum Brands. Earlier this month, Taco Bell expanded CEO Sean Tresvant’s responsibilities to include the chief consumer officer role.
Dive Insight:
Many of Yum’s recent leadership shifts aim to successfully combine menu innovation, value offerings, technological experimentation and aggressive marketing from Taco Bell U.S. with other parts of the business, including Pizza Hut and KFC. But as Taco Bell moves to triple its international store count, Yum will have to focus on expanding its successful U.S. strategy in other markets.
Montgomery has been with Taco Bell for nearly a decade, according to the press release. He rose to the U.S. CMO post, where he helped drive consistent sales growth through Live Más Live brand innovation event, celebrity partnerships and menu innovation and limited-time offers, including the Cantina Chicken and Decades menus. As chief brand officer, Montgomery will oversee the rapidly growing chain’s worldwide brand strategy.
Restrepo succeeds Montgomery as U.S. CMO. For the last two years, Restrepo has “overseen Taco Bell’s product pipeline and brand marketing efforts, leading a talented team behind game-changing innovation, like the Cheesy Street Chalupas,” as vice president of brand and product marketing.
Mathews, who joined the chain in 2022, will bring his experience in digital channels and loyalty systems to the brand’s worldwide efforts. In his previous technology leadership roles at Yum, Mathews helped grow Taco Bell’s digital sales to more than $6 billion.
Durini will continue as international CMO, but her new strategy role will focus on building brand momentum in global markets.
Davis, the chief legal officer at Taco Bell since 2018 and the chief executive of the Taco Bell foundation since 2020, will oversee the development of Taco Bell’s international store base, which is poised to grow dramatically.
The appointments follow another strong quarter for Taco Bell’s U.S. store system, which saw same-store sales rise 4%. Yum’s menu and brand strategy for the chain have helped it stay ahead of the QSR segment in store growth, and spawned direct imitators of its value strategy. Yum’s international growth has been a major bright spot for the multi-brand giant, which has seen its legacy brands, Pizza Hut and KFC, struggle to grow sales in the U.S.
