Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2013 | Page 12

Grow Market Lead

CEO
profile:
New Kid in Town
CEO Paul Brown on Arby’s spirit of revitalization
By Kerry Pipes

L

ast May Paul Brown made a
bold move. He left his hotel management career to
move into the food service
arena, taking over as CEO of Arby’s.
It’s a move Brown was well prepared
to make: he has extensive experience
and a proven track record in leading
global and franchise brands including
Hilton Worldwide, Expedia, and InterContinental Hotels Group.
“What I have learned throughout
my career in franchising is that it is really a competition for capital,” says the
46-year-old. “If a brand provides a great
return on investment for franchisees,
they will continue to invest and build
with that brand.”
Brown says he loves the franchise
business because it’s a “relatively straightforward virtuous cycle.” He sums it up
like this: franchisees make a great return, franchisees invest and build more
units, franchisor makes a great return,
franchisor invests more in the brand,
and begin again.
He believes the value proposition
at Arby’s is at the intersection of the
QSR an