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Smashburger stirs up leadership team

August 19, 2019

Smashburger, which has nearly 350 global units, has shaken up its leadership team naming a new president and two vice presidents.

Carl Bachmann, who has worked for Bertucci's and Ruby Tuesday, has taken on the president role, according to a press release from Jollibee Foods Corp., which acquired Smashburger last year. Bachman first joined the chain nearly three years ago as VP of operations for the East and then took over as COO in 2017. 

Scott Johnson, who joined Smashburger as VP and head of marketing, has worked for Arby's, Outback Steakhouse, Bravo Restaurant Group and most recently BurgerFi, where his experience included delivering on sales growth and business turnarounds, according to the release.

Charlie Sayre, who first joined Smashburger in July 2016, is now VP and head of finance. Prior to joining Smashburger, he worked as a financial and investment analyst for different companies and played a crucial role in the international go-to-market strategies of World Wrestling Entertainment and the mergers and acquisitions valuation of Mooreland Partners, according to the release..

"The synergy of homegrown and external talents at the helm of Smashburger with proven track records, in conjunction with integrating synergies across the JFC Group of Companies, will power up the organization and enable it to achieve its business goals," Ernesto Tanmantiong, CEO of JFC, said in the release. "We are very excited to see Smashburger reach its full potential with this new leadership team now steering the company."

The Smashburger leadership reports to Rowel Vijandre, president and country business group head of JFC North America, who was previously president of Chowking, one of the biggest restaurant chains of JFC. Chowking has delivered double-digit growth for the past three years and its highest sales value and market share, making it the fastest-growing brand in the Philippines and overtaking KFC, according to the release. Prior to JFC, Rowel led FMCG companies such as Johnson & Johnson Vietnam, tripling its business in three years and making it the fastest-growing FMCG company in Vietnam. 

"With the leadership and industry experience of Carl, Scott and Charlie, and the rest of the team working together, we are confident that Smashburger will move closer towards achieving its goal of becoming the #1 Fast Casual Better Burger Brand in North America," Vijandre said in the release.

Jollibee Foods Corporation operates 14 brands and over 4,500 stores across 21 countries.