Franchise News

Learn About Franchising

Smoothie King Adds New Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Information Officer And Chief People Officer To Brand's Executive Leadership Team

Franchise Information for Successful Business Ownership

Smoothie King, the world's largest smoothie chain and the first health and fitness QSR brand of its kind, has announced three new hires to its executive leadership team. Chief Marketing Officer Marianne Radley; Chief Information Officer Juan Salas; and Chief People Officer Laura Scavone have been added to the brand's C-Suite and will be responsible for leading effective, cross-functional teams to achieve Smoothie King's strategic business goals.

"We're excited to have Marianne, Juan and Laura join our growing leadership team. They are exemplary leaders in their respective segments, each possessing a wealth of experience in the QSR industry and will undoubtedly make invaluable contributions to Smoothie King," said Smoothie King CEO Wan Kim. "Our brand is rapidly growing in key markets nationwide and adding the right people to our team will be crucial to continuing our success. Marianne, Juan and Laura have already hit the ground running and we look forward to seeing all they accomplish in the months ahead."

Additional details on Smoothie King's new CMO, CIO and CPO below:

  • Chief Marketing Officer Marianne Radley: Marianne brings a wealth of global marketing, advertising and product innovation experience to Smoothie King and will support the brand's mission to inspire people to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. Prior to joining Smoothie King, Marianne served as the Chief Brand Officer for YUM! Brands, overseeing Pizza Hut and has also served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Monster Beverage Company and Anheuser-Busch InBev. Marianne has been recognized as Forbes Magazine's Top 100 Women in Brand Innovation, Adweek's Top Women to Watch awards and has received the Cannes Lion Award for Marketing Effectiveness.

  • Chief Information Officer Juan Salas: Juan has more than 20 years of experience implementing next generation technology for corporations in foodservice and hospitality including Gordon Ramsay North America, Del Frisco's Restaurant Group, Popeye's, Church's Chicken Brands and more. Juan has experience in technological, strategic, and tactical skills to ensure that solutions and processes are developed to best serve the guests and drive operational efficiencies to enhance revenue, which will benefit Smoothie King's corporate and franchise-owned stores. 

    In his new role with Smoothie King, Juan will support advancing the digital customer experience and store technology to help optimize operations.

  • Chief People Officer Laura Scavone: Previously serving as Vice President of Human Resources for Smoothie King, Laura has been the driving force behind influencing the brand's people strategy to help Smoothie King achieve its business goals. As Chief People Officer, Laura will be instrumental in optimizing people-centered activities including hiring, training, professional development, and performance management to ensure these efforts support the company's growth and bottom line. With a purpose-driven culture being at the center of Smoothie King's core values, Laura's role will also help drive an exciting, candidate-centric recruiting experience for prospective franchisees.

Smoothie King's executive leadership team additions follows recent development success for the brand. Smoothie King opened its 1400th location in September and has signed 145 new development agreements in 2022 to expand its footprint in key growth markets such as the Upper Midwest and Central Atlantic regions, as well as Colorado and Texas. Smoothie King is seeking additional operators in Cleveland, Denver, Phoenix, New York and Charlotte, among other target markets.

Smoothie King has repeatedly been recognized as a top franchise brand, most recently ranking number 51 in Nation's Restaurant News' Top 500 Restaurants, moving up from number 82 in 2021. This list recognizes the largest restaurant chains in the country ranked by sales performance and total number of units. The brand was also named the "Top Brand to Buy" in the beverage category of Franchise Times' 2022 Zor Awards and named to its "Top 400 Franchises" list. Furthermore, Smoothie King received the Top Franchises Satisfaction Award for 2022 from Franchise Business Review based on the brand's high franchisee satisfaction. For more information about franchise opportunities with Smoothie King, please visit www.smoothiekingfranchise.com.

Smoothie King Franchises, Inc., the original U.S. smoothie franchise, is a privately held, Dallas-based franchise company with more than 1,400 locations worldwide, including in the United States, Korea, Grand Cayman, and Trinidad. Founded in 1973, Smoothie King has made it its mission to inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle. By blending each smoothie with a purpose, Smoothie King makes it simple and enjoyable for guests to achieve their individual health and fitness goals. Smoothie King has been recognized No. 13 overall on Entrepreneur's prestigious Franchise 500 list in 2022 and ranked one of the "Fastest Growing Franchises." For more information about franchising with Smoothie King, visit SmoothieKingFranchise.com or follow the brand on Twitter and LinkedIn.