USA– Fast casual restaurant chain Chipotle has named Scott Boatwright as interim CEO after Brian Niccol accepted his appointment as Starbucks’ CEO and Chairman.
Niccol’s departure will be effective August 31. He served as CEO since 2018 and chairman of Chipotle’s board since 2020.
He is credited with implementing and overseeing a growth-centered strategy focusing on employees and customers, branding, culture, operational efficiency, digital transformation and menu diversification.
Niccol’s tenure at Chipotle’s helm was marked by a period of exponential growth, with revenues doubling and profits increasing seven-fold since 2018.
Chipotle’s board has appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) Scott Boatwright as interim CEO. He joined the fast-casual restaurant chain in 2017 and has played a key role in enhancing operations in the company’s 3,500 outlets and managing the chain’s 120,000 employees.
Boatwright has been instrumental in driving the company’s digital transformation and building a positive and proactive organizational culture, achieving high retention rates and yielding impressive performance.
The new interim CEO welcomed the move by saying, “I have the utmost confidence in our five key strategies, and I’m excited for the new opportunity to lead the business moving forward. We are a world-class organization full of talented leaders who are passionate about our brand and purpose and excited about the long-term opportunity to grow to 7,000 restaurants in North America and expand internationally.”
The new appointment has caused a ripple effect in the company’s leadership, causing other appointments and changes to senior leadership.
Chipotle also revealed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jack Hartung, who previously announced his retirement in 2025, agreed to serve indefinitely as President of Strategy, Finance and Supply Chain to ensure a smooth transition. He will support the new CEO as well as Adam Rymer, incoming CFO and Vice President of Finance.
The fast casual chain has also appointed Lead Independent Director, Scott Maw as Chairman of the Board. Accepting his appointment, Maw hailed Chipotle’s effective talent planning process, which made the company well-prepared for such sudden talent shake-ups.
The role expansion of the current senior leadership is expected to ensure continuity of growth and expansion strategies.
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