US Foods gains Popeye Exec

U.S. Foods Holding Corp. gains a new board member in hopes of gaining valuable guidance with the corporations recent five company purchase.

The company announced that Cheryl A. Bachelder has been appointed to the Board of Directors, effective Oct. 1. Bachelder served as Chief Executive Officer of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., a publicly traded, multi-national restaurant operator and franchisor, from 2007 to 2017. Prior to that, she served as President and Chief Concept Officer of KFC Corporation. Bachelder’s earlier career included brand leadership roles at Domino’s Pizza, RJR Nabisco, Gillette and Procter & Gamble.

“Cheryl is among the most respected executives in the food industry,” said Pietro Satriano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of US Foods. “Her unique experience building brands and leading sustained growth in the restaurant industry will provide valuable guidance to US Foods as we execute on our ‘Great Food. Made Easy.’ strategy.”

The announcement comes shortly after US Foods purchased a group of Arizona food companies for $1.8 billion in cash. The deal expanded the reach of US Foods, which works with about 250,000 restaurants and foodservice operators, and last year generated about $24 billion in sales. The deal brought Services Group of America into the US Foods Holding Corp. fold, adding five companies, $3.2 billion in annual sales and about 3,400 employees, with an expanded distribution footprint across the West and Midwest.

“We’re excited to welcome Cheryl to the board,” said Robert Dutkowsky, Lead Independent Director and Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of US Foods. “She’s an accomplished leader with an exceptional track record of creating strong brand value that drives performance. We’ll benefit from her insight and expertise.”

Currently, Bachelder is a director of Pier 1 Imports, Inc. She is also the author of the book, Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others