Kurt Kane

Mr. Kane joined the Company in May 2015 and has served as our Chief Concept & Marketing Officer since October 2015. He served as our Chief Concept Officer from May 2015 to October 2015. Mr. Kane has responsibility for all marketing, digital and culinary innovation. He has also received numerous industry honors, including being named one of the “Top 40 Marketing Innovators to Watch” by PR Week magazine and one of the “Top 100 Most Talented Global Marketing Leaders” by the World Marketing Congress.

Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Kane held several different leadership positions within the food and beverage space that provided him with a broad and deep perspective on how to connect effectively with customers. Previously, he worked at Yum! Brands, Inc. for seven years, where he held several key leadership positions for the Pizza Hut brand from 2008 to 2015, most recently serving as Global Chief Marketing and Food Innovation Officer. In this role, Mr. Kane was responsible for all advertising, media and product innovation across over 13,000 restaurants in 87 countries, as well as for providing senior general management leadership for the Middle East, Turkey and Canada. He also served as Chief Marketing Officer of Pizza Hut U.S. and Vice President of Brand Marketing and Communications of Pizza Hut U.S.

Before joining Yum! Brands, Mr. Kane held several different leadership positions that provided him with unique leadership opportunities. He worked at Frito-Lay, Inc. from 2005 to 2008, where he led the brand positioning, advertising, packaging and product innovation work that jumpstarted the reinvention of the Doritos brand. He also led the Frito-Lay, Inc. multipack business and worked in the new product group. Previously, Mr. Kane worked at Molson Coors Brewing Company from 2001 to 2005, where he led the seven-brand Molson portfolio for four years and Blue Moon Belgian White Ale. He also developed and implemented strategies, programs and advertising that reversed seven years of double-digit declines and made Molson the fastest growing “Top 25” imported beer brand. Mr. Kane began his business career at The Procter & Gamble Company from 1998 to 2001, where he led the repositioning of the Sunny Delight brand.

Mr. Kane served as an Air Defense Artillery Officer in the 4th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. He holds a B.S. in Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. He also serves as a trustee of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.