Leadership

Dickey’s promotes its tech VP to CIO

Carissa De Santis joined the barbecue chain last year and led a redesign of the brand’s e-commerce site during the pandemic.
Dickey's CIO
Photo courtesy of Dickey's BBQ

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit promoted Carissa De Santis to chief information officer, the fast-casual chain announced Wednesday.

De Santis joined the brand last year to oversee all of the company’s technology platforms. At the outset of the pandemic, she led a team to redesign Dickey’s e-commerce site, which contributed to a 42% increase in digital sales and 122% increase in site traffic, the chain said.

“To say Carissa is deserving of this promotion would be an understatement,” CEO Laura Rea Dickey said in a statement. “Under Carissa’s leadership, Dickey’s technology capabilities have grown tremendously, which has played a huge role in taking our brand to the next level.”

De Santis also revamped internal reporting and resource channels, and integrated the brand’s third-party delivery providers into a consolidated service. That streamlining resulted in 400% growth of off-premise sales, the chain said.

 

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