Paul J. Brown

Paul J. Brown is an American businessman and the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Inspire Brands.[3] He is the former Chief Executive Officer of Arby’s.[4]

Paul Brown
Born
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.[1]
EducationGeorgia Institute of Technology (BS)
Northwestern University (MS, MBA)
OccupationCo-Founder and CEO of Inspire Brands[2]

Education

Brown is an alumnus of Georgia Tech where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in management.[5] 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.[6]

Career

Early career

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.[4][2] He also held positions with The Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company.[1][7]

Arby’s (2013–2018)

In May 2013, Brown became Chief Executive Officer of Arby’s.[8] During his tenure as CEO of Arby’s, the brand introduced a new restaurant design and launched the “We Have The Meats” marketing campaign.[9] Brown also introduced new menu items including smokehouse brisket, pork belly, gyros, deep-fried turkey, and venison.[10] Brown led Arby’s international development agreements to expand in to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.[11]

In 2017, under Brown’s leadership, Fortune named Arby’s to its 100 Best Workplaces list for Millennials, Women, and Diversity.[12] Restaurant Business credited Brown for the turnaround of the Arby’s business.[13]

Inspire Brands (2018–present)

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.[14]

In December 2018, under Brown’s leadership, Inspire completed its acquisition of SONIC Drive-In for $2.3 billion.[15]

In October 2019, Inspire completed its acquisition of sandwich chain Jimmy John’s.[16]

Boards and Awards

Brown was named by Business Insider in 2019 as one of the 100 People Transforming Business.[17] 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.[18]

Brown is a member of the board of directors of H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) and FOCUS Brands Inc.[19][20] Brown serves on the boards of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the Georgia Tech Foundation.[21][22]

References
  1. "Paul Brown Executive Profile". Atlanta Trend. May 31, 2016.
  2. "Paul Brown Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer". Crunchbase. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  3. "The CEO who turned around Arby's says much of his success should be attributed to an advantage most CEOs don't have". Business Insider. February 22, 2018.
  4. "Paul J Brown Chief Executive Officer, Arbys Restaurant Group Inc". Bloomberg. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  5. "Scheller College Undergraduate Student Interviews College alumnus Paul Brown, CEO of Inspire Brands". Scheller College of Business. November 26, 2018.
  6. "Paul Brown: The Listener". Restaurant Business. March 14, 2017.
  7. "Arby's do-or-die moment". Franchise Times. September 28, 2015.
  8. "Arby's names Paul Brown CEO". Atlanta Business Chronicle. April 30, 2013.
  9. "Arby's is betting $3.9 billion that its customers don't want fake meat". Fast Company. July 22, 2019.
  10. "How humor saved Arby's and propelled it to the forefront of pop culture". CNBC. April 16, 2019.
  11. "Before Buying Buffalo Wild Wings, Arby's CEO Talks Turning the Company Around". The Street. November 18, 2017.
  12. "Great Place to Work® and FORTUNE Name Arby's One of the Best Workplaces for Women". MarketWatch. September 18, 2017.
  13. "Arby's Paul Brown named Restaurant Leader of the Year". Restaurant Business. March 13, 2017.
  14. "Buffalo Wild Wings to Be Acquired by Arby's in Deal Worth $2.9 Billion". The Wall Street Journal. November 28, 2017.
  15. "Burger chain Sonic to be acquired by Arby's parent company in $2.3 billion deal". CNBC. September 15, 2018.
  16. "Arby's owner will be 'very selective' about its next move after closing Jimmy John's deal". CNBC. October 21, 2019.
  17. "INTRODUCING: The 10 people transforming retail". Business Insider. April 15, 2019.
  18. "2018 Norman Award winner: Paul Brown". Nation's Restaurant News. September 27, 2018.
  19. "Paul J. Brown". H&R Block. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  20. "Paul Brown". Restaurant Recovery. December 1, 2019.
  21. "Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Board of Trustees". Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  22. "Arby's CEO: 'Best results are often produced by a messy process'". Business Insider. May 2, 2014.
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