Wendy’s sudden management shakeup continued on Tuesday after the fast-food giant named Pete Suerken the president of its U.S. market. The move is effective immediately.
Abigail Pringle, a 23-year veteran of the company who had held that position, is leaving the Dublin, Ohio-based chain to “pursue other opportunities” in the coming weeks following a transition period.
The move comes just two weeks after the unexpected departure of CEO Kirk Tanner, who took the CEO job with The Hershey Company just 18 months after taking the Wendy’s job. The company named as interim CFO Ken Cook, who himself was named to that position last November after a career with UPS.
Suerken has been CEO of Wendy’s Quality Supply Chain Co-Op, or QSCC, a purchasing cooperative for the Wendy’s system, since 2021. Suerken works with operators and franchisees around the globe and the company said that, “He has a proven track record of transforming operations, building profitability and leading innovation.”
In a statement, Cook said that increasing profitability and accelerating growth are “crucial priorities” in the U.S. and that Suerken “will lead our business with operational excellence and intensity.”
On Pringle, Cook said she “helped strengthen our system and modernize our restaurants” and “has been a key leader of restaurant development” at the burger chain.
But the move intensifies the upheaval at Wendy’s, which opted to change CEOs in January of last year, ousting longtime chief executive Todd Penegor in favor of the former PepsiCo executive Tanner—who would decide to return to the consumer packaged goods business just 18 months later.
When asked why Pringle was passed over as interim CEO despite extensive experience, a company spokesperson said that she “continues to be a critical leader at Wendy’s.”
Suerken will oversee Wendy’s biggest market, by far. The fast-food chain has nearly 6,000 locations domestically, and 7,200 overall.
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.