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Fernando Machado has been named chief brand officer of Chipotle Mexican Grill, effective June 1. He is tasked with leading the chain’s global marketing strategy, brand positioning and customer engagement efforts as the company continues to expand toward its goal of 7,000 restaurants. 

Machado spent over seven years as the chief marketing officer at Restaurant Brands International, where he worked with Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons. While at Burger King, he led award-winning campaigns such as the “Moldy Whopper” and “Whopper Detour.” 

He departed the company in 2021 to join video game company Activision Blizzard as CMO. Since 2023, he has served as an operating partner at Garnett Station Partners, a private equity group with around $3 billion in investments on brands in the fast-food, pet care, and service industries. In this position, Fernando has provided support to marketing teams of brands such as Pollo Tropical, Fat Tuesday, Woof Gang and more. 

Prior to RBI, he spent 18 years at Unilever in a series of executive leadership roles across its consumer brand portfolio.

"We are thrilled to welcome Fernando to Chipotle's leadership team," Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright said in a statement. "His proven track record in building iconic brands, driving category-defining innovation, and leading customer-centric marketing strategies positions him to elevate our brand, deepen guest loyalty, highlight the value of our real food, and accelerate our long-term growth."

"Chipotle has built one of the most distinctive and culturally relevant brands in the industry, and I look forward to building on that strong foundation through authentic storytelling, focused product development, and meaningful guest experiences,” Machado added in a statement. 

Machado was named Ad Age's 2020 CMO of the Year and a Forbes Top 3 Most Influential CMO globally. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) and an MBA from INSEAD Business School. He also serves on the board of Braze, the comprehensive customer engagement platform connecting brands and consumers.

He succeeds Chris Brandt, who stepped down from the company in January after nearly eight years. Stephanie Perdue, who joined the company as vice president of brand marketing in 2018, has been serving as the company’s chief marketing officer on an interim basis since Brandt’s departure. 

Chipotle also named Arlie Sisson as chief digital officer to accelerate its technology and innovation efforts. Sisson will report to Curt Garner, the company's president, chief strategy and technology officer. 

Most recently, Sisson served as senior vice president, global head of digital, commercial services at Hyatt Hotels, where she led a global organization across product, design, engineering, loyalty, analytics, digital strategy and more. Before Hyatt, Sisson was the founder and chief executive officer of UpPurpose, a privately funded, software-as-a-service company she built from the ground up. Prior to that, she held senior leadership roles at Condé Nast and Marriott (Starwood) Hotels, where she helped drive digital revenue growth and led mobile strategy initiatives.

“Sisson is a proven leader with a deep understanding of how technology can elevate both the guest and team member experience. In this newly established role, she will help advance our digital strategy, grow loyalty, strengthen how we operate across our restaurants, and unlock new opportunities to innovate at scale. Sisson's leadership will be instrumental as we continue to evolve our capabilities, drive greater efficiency, and deliver best-in-class technology that supports our teams and enhances every interaction with our brand,” Garner said in a statement. 

"I'm thrilled to join Chipotle at such a dynamic moment in its journey," Sisson added in a statement. "The brand's commitment to real ingredients, operational excellence, and a differentiated guest experience creates a powerful foundation for continued digital advancement. I look forward to partnering with our teams to introduce new solutions that drive long-term growth."

Contact Alicia Kelso at Alicia.Kelso@informa.com

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