FAT (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands Inc. has strengthened its leadership team with the naming of a new chief marketing officer and two new brand presidents.

Jenn Johnston has been promoted to CMO. Since the acquisition of Global Franchise Group in July 2021, Ms. Johnston has held the role of president of the Quick-Service Division at FAT Brands, overseeing brands including Round Table Pizza, Great American Cookies, Marble Slab Creamery and Pretzelmaker. Earlier she spent 11 years at Global Franchise Group in a variety of roles, including president and chief brand officer, interim chief executive officer and chief marketing and operations officer. Prior to Global Franchise Group she was with NexCen Franchise Management Inc., MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream & Treatery, Folio Investing, McCann Worldgroup and Grey Group.

With Ms. Johnston’s promotion to CMO, Allison Lauenstein and David Pear will assume brand president roles.

Ms. Lauenstein will take over as brand president of Great American Cookies, Marble Slab Creamery, and Pretzelmaker. Ms. Lauenstein brings over a decade of experience working with the respective brands, having previously served as executive vice president of brand operations and marketing at Global Franchise Group. She successfully launched several initiatives during her tenure, including the unlimited mix-ins platform at Marble Slab Creamery, the co-branded model of Great American Cookies and Marble Slab Creamery, and the Fresh Twist menu concept for Pretzelmaker. Prior to joining Global Franchise Group, she spent 13 years at Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins Brands in various leadership positions.

With more than 20 years of strategic and operational restaurant leadership experience, Mr. Pear will take on the role of brand president at Round Table Pizza. Mr. Pear most recently was vice president of strategic initiatives at Desert De Oro Foods, a multi-unit franchise organization with 360 restaurants, including Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Whataburger, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, and Dave’s Hot Chicken. Prior to that, he was senior vice president of operations at Del Taco, where he played a key role in consistently increasing same-store sales and driving overall unit growth. Mr. Pear also brings experience from his time at Yum! Brands’ Taco Bell and Domino’s Pizza, where he led operational transformation through a combination of key initiatives focused on culture, continuous improvement of operational elements, and elevation of the guest experience.

“As FAT Brands continues to evolve and grow, we saw an opportunity to expand Jenn’s role to impact the larger organization,” said Thayer Wiederhorn, chief operating officer of FAT Brands. “Her unique marketing and operations background will enable us to develop impactful campaigns that increase brand visibility and drive profitable sales across our 17 concepts. We are also pleased to welcome Allison and David to the team. Allison has a great track record with Great American Cookies, Marble Slab Creamery and Pretzelmaker. We expect a seamless integration into her new role and immediate value to the brands. On the other hand, David brings exciting insights from his outside experience, which we also expect will bring immediate results. We are fortunate to have them both join our talented management team.”