Leadership

Dunkin’ Brands names Philip Auerbach chief digital and strategy officer

The company also promoted two other executives as it works to bolster its digital efforts.
Photograph: Shutterstock

Dunkin’ Brands on Thursday named Philip Auerbach the company’s chief digital and strategy officer as part of a trio of executive changes designed to bolster its digital efforts.

In addition, the company promoted Stephanie Meltzer-Paul to senior vice president of digital marketing, and Santhosh Kumar to senior vice president of information technology.

“Dunkin’ is doubling down on our digital platform and the relationship we have with our guests,” Dave Hoffmann, CEO of the Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’, said in a statement. He noted that technology is a “cornerstone” of the owner of Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins’ growth strategy.

Auerbach will join the company in a newly created role that will oversee a U.S. digital engagement team that will include consumer and business insights, digital marketing, media and customer care. He will also lead Dunkin’ Brands’ global strategy and information technology and will report directly to Hoffmann.

Auerbach joins Dunkin’ from Lindblad Expeditions, a ship-based expedition travel company, where he was the chief commercial officer. He has previously worked with Caesars Entertainment and spent 15 years in management consulting.

Hoffmann called Auerbach “a transformational leader who has led the evolution of consumer and hospitality brands and will take our growing digital platform to the next level.”

Meltzer-Paul joined Dunkin’ in 2018 as vice president of digital and loyalty marketing and previously spent 20 years working in loyalty and digital marketing with a handful of companies.

Kumar has worked with Dunkin’ since 2000 and previously was vice president of IT, infrastructure and information security and privacy.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

Operations

Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining

Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.

Financing

The Tijuana Flats bankruptcy highlights the dangers of menu miscues

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea.

Trending

More from our partners