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American businessman From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul J. Brown is an American businessman and the co-founder and chief executive officer of Inspire Brands.[1] He is the former chief executive officer of Arby’s.[2]
Paul Brown | |
|---|---|
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| Education | Georgia Institute of Technology (BS) Northwestern University (MS, MBA) |
| Occupation(s) | Co-Founder and CEO of Inspire Brands |
Brown is an alumnus of Georgia Tech where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in management.[3] He also received an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Master of Engineering Management from the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.[4]
Brown was previously the President of Brands and Commercial Services of Hilton Worldwide, President of Expedia North America and Senior Vice President of Global Brand Services at InterContinental Hotels Group.[2] He also held positions with The Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company.[5][6]
In May 2013, Brown became Chief Executive Officer of Arby’s.[7] During his tenure as CEO of Arby’s, the brand introduced a new restaurant design and launched the “We Have The Meats” marketing campaign.[8] Brown also introduced new menu items including smokehouse brisket, pork belly, gyros, deep-fried turkey, and venison.[9] Brown led Arby’s international development agreements to expand in to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.[10]
In 2017, under Brown’s leadership, Fortune named Arby’s to its 100 Best Workplaces list for Millennials, Women, and Diversity.[11] Restaurant Business credited Brown for the turnaround of the Arby’s business.[12]
In February 2018, Brown and Neal Aronson of Roark Capital Group founded Inspire Brands when Arby’s completed its acquisition of Buffalo Wild Wings for $2.9 billion.[13]
In December 2018, under Brown’s leadership, Inspire completed its acquisition of SONIC Drive-In for $2.3 billion.[14]
In October 2019, Inspire completed its acquisition of sandwich chain Jimmy John’s.[15]
Inspire Brands on October 25, 2020, announced that it was buying Dunkin' Brands for $11.3 billion.[16][17]
The acquisition was completed on December 15, 2020.[18]
Brown was named by Business Insider in 2019 as one of the 100 People Transforming Business.[19] He was also named a 2018 Norman Award recipient by Nation’s Restaurant News, a 2018 Silver Plate honoree by IFMA, the 2017 Restaurant Leader of the Year by Restaurant Business, and a 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year in Retail and Consumer Products in the Southeast by EY.[20]
Brown is a member of the board of directors of H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) and FOCUS Brands Inc.[21][22] Brown is on the boards of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the Georgia Tech Foundation.[23][24]
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