Wendy's appoints Steve Cirulis as CFO and chief strategy officer
Former Potbelly Sandwich Works CFO and chief strategy officer joins the Wendy's leadership team.
Courtesy of The Wendy's Co.
The Wendy's Co. is appointing Steve Cirulis as chief financial officer and chief strategy officer, effective June 23, 2026. He will report to President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Wright and serve on Wendy's senior leadership team. Cirulis will succeed Ken Cook, who has served as chief financial officer since 2024 and will remain in an advisory position through July 2026 to facilitate a smooth transition.
Cirulis most recently served as chief financial officer and chief strategy officer for Potbelly Sandwich Works, where he led all financial, strategy, analytics and risk management functions. While at Potbelly, he partnered with Wendy's current CEO, Bob Wright, to lead a company and brand turnaround that, over their tenure, experienced a more than 500% increase in share price, double-digit growth in average unit volumes, substantial restaurant margin expansion and robust improvement in return on invested capital. Prior to Potbelly, Cirulis held senior strategy and finance roles at global restaurant and retail brands including Panera Bread, McDonald's and Gap Inc.
"Driving solid financial discipline, topline growth and enhanced franchisee profitability are essential to our future success," said Wright. "I am confident that Steve will play a critical role as we execute the turnaround of Wendy's, driving growth and generating value for our franchisees, employees and shareholders.”
Wright emphasized Cirulis’ decades of experience across large-scale retail and restaurant brands, saying these experiences will benefit the Wendy’s system from day one.
"It is an honor to join this iconic brand at such a pivotal time in its history," said Cirulis. "I believe there is a tremendous opportunity at Wendy's to drive topline growth, franchisee profitability and improved shareholder value, and I am eager to get to work with our talented employees and franchisees to unlock the potential of our entire system."
Wright said, "I also want to thank Ken Cook for his contributions to our system. Ken was a steadfast leader at a critical time of change for Wendy's, and I wish him well in his next chapter beyond Wendy's."
Chairman of the Board Art Winkleblack said, "The board is grateful for Ken Cook's impact on Wendy's, serving as both CFO and interim CEO in his tenure. Under his leadership, Wendy's established the Project Fresh strategy, which was an instrumental start to the brand's turnaround."
Source: The Wendy's Co.
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