THE WENDY'S COMPANY NAMES TARIQ HASSAN CHIEF MARKETING AND CUSTOMER GROWTH OFFICER

Rhea-AI Summary

The Wendy's Company (Nasdaq: WEN) appointed Tariq Hassan as its first Chief Marketing and Customer Growth Officer, effective immediately, reporting to President and CEO Bob Wright and joining the Senior Leadership Team. The role is part of Wendy's turnaround plan as it focuses on profitable growth.

Lindsay Radkoski, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer since 2024, will leave the company following a transition period. Hassan brings over 30 years of global marketing, customer experience, digital transformation and brand-building experience, including prior leadership roles at McDonald's and other major consumer brands.

Positive

• Creation of Chief Marketing and Customer Growth Officer role to support turnaround plan
• Appointment effective immediately adds over 30 years of marketing and customer experience leadership
• Direct reporting to CEO and Senior Leadership Team membership signals strategic importance of growth and marketing

Negative

• Departure of U.S. Chief Marketing Officer after transition period
• Leadership transition in marketing organization may create short-term disruption during implementation of turnaround plan

Market Context

WEN's recent history included aligned gains after three positive announcements, including 5.1% after...

Analysis

WEN's recent history included aligned gains after three positive announcements, including 5.1% after the $1 Frosty promotion. That record frames the leadership change alongside execution risk and the need for measurable operating improvement.

Key Figures

Marketing leadership experience: more than three decades Prior CMO tenure start: 2024 Radkoski service: 15 years

3 metrics

Marketing leadership experience more than three decades Tariq Hassan's global marketing and brand-building career

Prior CMO tenure start 2024 Lindsay Radkoski served as CMO, U.S. since 2024

Radkoski service 15 years Lindsay Radkoski's service to Wendy's

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Aug 07 (Negative)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	24h Move	Catalyst
Aug 07	Q2 earnings report	Negative	+4.1%	Revenue increased, but comparable sales, net income, EBITDA, and margins declined.
Aug 03	Seasonal menu launch	Positive	+2.3%	Wendy's introduced new and returning limited-time fall menu items nationwide.
Jul 20	Kids' meal promotion	Positive	+1.2%	Wendy's launched a Sonic-themed kids' meal promotion with collectible cards.
Jul 16	Promotional pricing	Positive	+5.1%	Wendy's announced a limited-time $1 Frosty promotion for participating restaurants.
Jul 09	Earnings date notice	Neutral	-0.5%	Wendy's scheduled its second-quarter results release and conference call.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Pattern Detected

Recent history showed positive promotional announcements aligned with gains, while the Q2 results announcement rose despite negative operating results.

Key Terms

qsr

1 terms

qsr technical

"recapture its position as the quality leader in the QSR industry"

QSR stands for quick-service restaurant, the category of eateries focused on fast, low-cost meals such as fast-food chains and counter-serve outlets. Investors watch QSRs because their performance reflects how well a chain converts steady customer traffic into profit through pricing, speed, location and franchise economics — think of them as retail stores for food where foot traffic, consistent unit costs and repeat customers determine whether an investment grows or stalls.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Strengthened Leadership Team Marks Next Step in Company Turnaround Plan

DUBLIN, Ohio, Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wendy's Company (Nasdaq: WEN) announced the appointment of Tariq Hassan to the newly created role of Chief Marketing and Customer Growth Officer, effective immediately. He will report to President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Wright and serve on the Wendy's Senior Leadership Team. Lindsay Radkoski, who has served as Chief Marketing Officer, U.S. since 2024, will depart the organization after a transition period with Hassan over the coming weeks.

Hassan brings more than three decades of global marketing, customer experience, digital transformation and brand-building leadership to Wendy's, with deep experience across restaurants, technology and consumer brands. He previously served as Senior Vice President, U.S. Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at McDonald's, where he helped modernize marketing, strengthened digital and loyalty engagement, and put customer-first insights at the center of culturally relevant campaigns and menu innovation. Prior to McDonald's, Hassan has held several senior leadership roles with prominent U.S. consumer brands and agencies where he built an impressive track record of repositioning brands, improving the customer experience and using data-driven marketing to create deeper customer relationships and measurable business impacts.

"Tariq's appointment is another meaningful step in returning Wendy's to profitable growth," said Bob Wright. "He is a proven brand and team builder with a distinctive ability to connect culture, technology and consumer insight to drive measurable growth. He has demonstrated the impact that highly effective marketing, digital activation, menu innovation and culturally relevant brand engagement can have on restaurant performance and customer loyalty. He will be instrumental in sourcing and developing talent and building new capabilities in the organization to help Wendy's recapture its position as the quality leader in the QSR industry."

"Wendy's is an iconic American brand that has something special most brands spend decades trying to build, a real point of view that our customers genuinely feel," said Hassan. "My focus will be on reigniting that passionate connection with our brand to show up more powerfully in every experience, everywhere our fans meet us. Working alongside Bob, the leadership team, our franchisees and restaurant teams, I see enormous opportunity to reshape how we tell this story, starting with the food itself, to drive growth for our customers, our franchisees, and our shareholders."

Wright also recognized Lindsay Radkoski for her service and leadership. "On behalf of the Wendy's Board and leadership team, I want to thank Lindsay for her many contributions over the past 15 years," Wright said. "Lindsay's commitment to Wendy's and dedication to our customers, franchisees and Company have always been a hallmark of her service. We are grateful that she will support a smooth transition and wish her continued success."

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain statements that are not historical facts, including statements regarding our anticipated future performance, growth and value creation. Those statements constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Reform Act"). The forward-looking statements are based on our expectations at the time such statements are made, speak only as of the dates they are made and are susceptible to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited to, the factors identified in the "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Projections" and "Risk Factors" sections of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For all forward-looking statements, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Reform Act.

About Wendy's
The Wendy's Company (Nasdaq: WEN) and Wendy's^® franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across more than 7,000 restaurants worldwide. Founded in 1969, Wendy's is committed to the promise of Fresh Famous Food, Made Right, For You, delivered to customers through its craveable menu including made-to-order square hamburgers using fresh beef*, and fan favorites like the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and nuggets, Baconator^®, and the Frosty^® dessert. Wendy's supports the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption^®, established by its founder, which seeks to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of children waiting in North America's foster care system. Learn more about Wendy's at www.wendys.com. For details on franchising, visit www.wendys.com/franchising. Connect with Wendy's on X, Instagram and Facebook.

*Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S. and Alaska, as well as Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the UK, and other select international markets.

Investor Contact:
Aaron Broholm
Head of Investor Relations
(614) 764-3345; aaron.broholm@wendys.com

Media Contact:
Heidi Schauer
Vice President – Communications, Public Affairs & Customer Care
(614) 764-3368; heidi.schauer@wendys.com 

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SOURCE The Wendy's Company

FAQ

What leadership change did The Wendy's Company (WEN) announce on August 24, 2026?

The Wendy's Company announced Tariq Hassan as Chief Marketing and Customer Growth Officer, effective immediately. According to Wendy's, he joins the Senior Leadership Team and reports to President and CEO Bob Wright as part of the company’s broader turnaround and profitable growth strategy.

Who is Tariq Hassan, the new Chief Marketing and Customer Growth Officer at Wendy's (WEN)?

Tariq Hassan is a senior marketing leader with over three decades of experience. According to Wendy's, he previously served as Senior Vice President, U.S. Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at McDonald's and has led brand repositioning, digital engagement and data-driven customer growth across major consumer brands.

How does Tariq Hassan’s appointment support Wendy's (WEN) turnaround plan?

Wendy's describes Hassan’s appointment as a meaningful step in returning the company to profitable growth. According to Wendy's, he is expected to strengthen marketing, digital activation, menu innovation and culturally relevant brand engagement, and to build new organizational capabilities focused on customer growth and loyalty.

What happens to Wendy's current U.S. Chief Marketing Officer after this leadership change?

Lindsay Radkoski, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer since 2024, will depart after a transition period. According to Wendy's, she will work with Tariq Hassan over the coming weeks to support a smooth handover, and the company publicly thanked her for 15 years of service and contributions.

What experience does Tariq Hassan bring to Wendy's (WEN) new marketing and growth role?

Hassan brings more than 30 years of global marketing and customer experience leadership. According to Wendy's, his background spans restaurants, technology and consumer brands, including modernizing marketing, strengthening digital and loyalty engagement, and using customer-first insights to support menu innovation and measurable business impact.

What will be Tariq Hassan’s focus as Chief Marketing and Customer Growth Officer at Wendy's?

Hassan plans to reignite Wendy's emotional connection with customers across every brand experience. According to Wendy's, he aims to reshape how the brand story is told, starting with the food, to drive growth for customers, franchisees and shareholders through culture, technology and consumer insight.