Management Biographies
Ronald M. Shaich
Founder, Chairman of the Board and co-CEO
Ron Shaich is the Founder, Chairman of the Board and co-CEO of Panera Bread Company. Today, Shaich is directing a range of long term innovation and strategic initiatives for the company.
Shaich began his career in the bakery-cafe industry in 1981 and went on to co-found Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. and, ultimately, founded Panera Bread. Today, the Company operates or franchises over 1,652 locations in 44 states and Canada. System-wide sales in 2012 exceeded $3.5 billion.
Under Shaich's leadership, Panera was the singularly best performing restaurant stock when measured over his last decade as CEO and the second best performing consumer stock on the S&P consumer index when measured over that same decade. Panera is the 6th most valuable publically traded U.S. restaurant company (as of March 29, 2011).
In his over 25 years as CEO, Shaich received widespread recognition for his leadership. Shaich was awarded the 2011 MUFSO Pioneer Award for being one of the most significant contributors in the history of the food service industry. Past winners have included Colonel Harland Sanders, Ray Kroc, Norman Brinker and J. Willard Marriott, Sr. In 2005, he was awarded IFMA’s Gold Plate Award for being the outstanding leader in the food service industry. As well, he has twice received the Nation’s Restaurant News Golden Chain Award which is given to figures who exemplify success and leadership in the food service industry.
Shaich has also been a national finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year. The Company and Shaich’s innovative management style have been featured in Fortune, Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, The Economist, TIME, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, all three network evening news programs (NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, ABC World News Tonight) and several books. As well, Shaich frequently represents Panera Bread on CNBC, Bloomberg, CNN and Fox News.
Shaich also serves as President of the Panera Bread Foundation and recently spearheaded the Panera Cares initiative, through which the Foundation created nonprofit community cafes aimed at addressing issues related to food insecurity. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation and on the Board of the Rashi School. Shaich formerly served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Clark University and is a former Treasurer of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. In March 2012, to signify their partnership and shared commitment to Panera, the company announced that Ron Shaich and Bill Moreton would share the title of CEO. Shaich is Chairman of the Board and co-CEO and Moreton is President and co-CEO.
Shaich received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Clark University in 1976 and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1978. He resides in Brookline, MA with his wife, Nancy, and children, Michael and Emma.
For more information on Shaich, visit www.ronshaich.com. This Web site includes photographs, recent articles, presentations, interviews and publications.
William W. Moreton
President and co-CEO
William “Bill” Moreton was named Chief Executive Officer and President of Panera Bread and to the Board of Directors in May 2010, succeeding the company’s founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ron Shaich. In March 2012, to signify their partnership and shared commitment to Panera, the company announced that Ron Shaich and Bill Moreton would share the title of CEO. Moreton rejoined the company in October 2008 as Executive Vice President & Co-Chief Operating Officer.
Prior to joining Panera, Moreton served as President and Chief Financial Officer of Potbelly Sandwich Works. He also previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Wendy's International, Inc. subsidiary Baja Fresh. Prior to his responsibilities with Baja Fresh, Moreton was Executive Vice President, Subsidiary Brand Management for Wendy's, where he assisted with strategy and growth of developing brands. Moreton also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Quality Dining, Inc.
From 1998 to 2003, Moreton served as Panera Bread's Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer.
Prior to entering the restaurant industry, Moreton spent a decade in banking, accounting and financial consulting with Credit Agricole and Arthur Andersen & Co.
Moreton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from DePaul University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Charles J. Chapman, III
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
In November 2011, Charles "Chuck" J. Chapman, III, joined Panera's management team as Executive Vice President and was responsible for Business Development & Licensing, Information Services, and Development. In May 2012, he was named Chief Operating Officer. Prior to becoming part of the management team, he served on Panera's Board of Directors since January 2008.
Chapman joins Panera Bread from Dairy Queen (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway) where he was most recently its Chief Operating Officer. He also worked as COO for Bruegger's Bagels Inc. and as President and co-Owner of Beantown Bagels, a Bruegger's franchise. Additionally, he held various marketing and operations positions with Darden Restaurants and began his career with the consulting firm Bain & Company.
Chapman earned his Masters of Business Administration from Amos Tuck Business School of Administration at Dartmouth College and his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Psychology from Dartmouth College.
Scott Davis
Executive Vice President & Chief Concept Officer
Scott Davis is responsible for bringing the customer experience alive multi-dimensionally in Panera's bakery-cafes. His work includes the ongoing evolution of the Panera Bread concept for which he draws on longtime experience at Panera as well as his time with Saint Louis Bread Co. where, in 1996, he spearheaded the creation of its new prototype bakery-cafe.
He joined Au Bon Pain Co. as a Store Manager in 1987. In 1993 he became New Concept Manager and led the development of the company's Choices concept. In 1995, he was tapped to create an R & D team for Saint Louis Bread Co. which later became known as Panera Bread as it expanded nationally. Davis was named Director that same year and has since led the Panera Concept Team. In May 2010 he was named Executive Vice President and has recently been honored by Nation's Restaurant News with its 2011 MenuMasters Innovator Award.
Davis holds an Associate's degree of Applied Sciences in Computer Science from State University of New York, Mohawk Valley.
Roger Matthews
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Roger Matthews joined Panera Bread in March 2013 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Prior to joining Panera, Matthews worked for Goldman, Sachs, & Co., a global investment banking and securities firm. In his most recent role of Managing Director, Matthews worked in the Consumer & Retail group of the Investment Banking division and served as the Sector Head of the U.S. Restaurant Industry, advising Panera in that capacity and amassing extensive experience as the senior relationship banker for over 40 leading restaurant, consumer and retail clients. Before joining Goldman, Sachs, & Co. in 1996, Matthews served in various positions at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Matthews earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree with Distinction in Finance from the University of Virginia.
Michael Simon
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
Michael Simon joined Panera Bread in October 2009 as Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer. In January 2013, he was promoted to Executive Vice President.
Prior to joining Panera, Simon held various roles at Campbell Soup Company, including Senior Vice President/General Manager of the Snacks Division at Pepperidge Farm, as well as senior marketing positions in Pepperidge Farm's Bakery Division and at Godiva Chocolatier. Simon also held several marketing positions at Ralston Purina.
Simon earned a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from Dartmouth College.
Scott Blair
Senior Vice President & Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel
Scott Blair joined Panera Bread in January 2003 as Special Counsel for Employee Relations. In January 2008, Blair was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel.
Prior to becoming in-house counsel, Blair worked as the outside employment and labor law firm for Panera and Au Bon Pain from 1994 to 2003. Blair previously served as a partner in the Boston law firm Stoneman, Chandler & Miller, where he represented a range of clients before the National Labor Relations Board, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Labor and numerous other state and federal agencies.
Blair holds a Juris Doctorate from Boston College Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Philosophy from Williams College.
Mark Borland
Senior Vice President & Chief Supply Chain Officer
Mark Borland joined Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. in 1986 and has held various management titles within Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. and Panera Bread, including Executive Vice President, Vice President of Retail Operations, Chief Operating Officer and President of Manufacturing Services. In his current role as Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, his responsibilities include management of all supply chain activities, including the fresh dough facilities, purchasing, and the retail baker group.
Borland has also served as Senior Vice President of Operations at RetailDNA.
Borland holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Pepperdine University, and completed studies at the American Institute of Baking.
Irene Cook
Senior Vice President, Chief Company & JV Operations Officer
Irene Cook joined Panera Bread in 2005 as Vice President of Learning and Development, then assumed the title of Vice President Operations in 2006. In May 2012, Cook was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Company & JV Operations Officer.
Prior to joining Panera, Cook served as Vice President, Training and Recruiting, and Director of Training at Bertucci's Corporation, a subsidiary of NERCO. She also previously served in training and management roles at Nutri-System, Inc. and Boston Chicken, Inc.
Cook holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Sawyer School of Management at Suffolk University.
Liz Dunlap
Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer
Liz Dunlap joined Panera Bread as Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer in June 2011.
Prior to leading Panera's Human Resources, Dunlap was the Chief HR Officer for Christie’s in New York City, where she led a global team in support of operations in 30 countries. At Campbell Soup Company, where she spent 11 years, she first was head of HR for their Away From Home division then became the global HR lead for Godiva Chocolatier. She also held HR leadership positions at Sizzler Restaurants and Disney Consumer Products, as well as various HR positions at Taco Bell and Carnation/Nestle.
Dunlap earned a degree in Psychology from the University of California - Los Angeles.
Blaine E. Hurst
Senior Vice President - Technology & Transformation
Blaine E. Hurst joined Panera Bread in January 2011 as Senior Vice President, Technology Business Strategies. In March 2012, he was named Senior Vice President – Technology and Transformation.
Prior to joining our company, Hurst was an entrepreneur and consultant, assisting numerous restaurant, retail, and distribution companies in their development and growth, including the development of Panera's strategic information systems plan. Hurst also served as President, Restaurant Technology Solutions, a division of eMac Digital, LLC. Prior to eMac, Hurst was Vice Chairman and President of Papa John's International Inc., after having served as its Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Vice President, Information Services. Before joining Boston Chicken as its Vice President – Information Services, Mr. Hurst was a consulting division Partner with Ernst & Young, founding the firm's Center for Information Technology Planning and Development.
Hurst earned a Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction in Computer Science from Indiana University.
Thomas Kish
Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Tom Kish joined Panera Bread in April 2001 as Vice President and Chief Information Officer. In December 2004, Kish was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. In his current role, Kish oversees Panera Bread Information Services, which includes Field Services, Technical Operations and Enterprise Systems.
Prior to joining Panera Bread, Kish was Vice President, Information and Support Services for Papa John's International. Kish began his career with Arthur Andersen & Co. in their consulting practice.
Kish holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
William H. Simpson
Senior Vice President & Chief Franchise Officer
William "Hank" Simpson joined Panera Bread in 2002 as Director, Retail Operations and Joint Venture Partner. In February 2005, he was promoted to Vice President, Retail Operations, then in April 2006, Simpson was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Company and Join Venture Operations Officer. In May 2012, Simpson was named Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer. Previously, Simpson was Vice President, Franchise Operations and Regional Vice President of Company Operations for Bennigan's Restaurants. He also served as Director, Human Resources for On the Border restaurants.
Simpson attended the University of Central Florida.
