Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BWLD), today announced that Santiago Abraham will assume the role of chief information officer (CIO) effective December 5, 2016. As CIO, Abraham will be responsible for the company’s technology strategy, policies, processes and practices to support its evolving business.
Abraham brings more than 20 years of business technology experience delivering solutions, applications and capabilities for a diverse number of hospitality-related industries. Most recently Abraham was vice president, IT strategy, sourcing & vendor management at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., where he led a five-year program to transform and modernize the company’s enterprise technology. While at Royal Caribbean he also spearheaded a decade-long effort to optimize revenue systems at the company, resulting in a best-in-industry reservations system.
“We’re pleased to have Santiago join Buffalo Wild Wings and look forward to his contributions in developing an enterprise-wide technology strategy that will further our innovation and differentiation in the marketplace,” said Sally Smith, president and chief executive officer. “His extensive technology expertise and leadership experience will help us to use technology as a marketing and revenue generation tool, as well as an efficiency tool to help reduce operating costs.”
“I am delighted to join Buffalo Wild Wings and utilize my technology expertise to help the Company develop an enterprise-wide technology strategy that contributes to its growth and profitability,” said Santiago Abraham. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to build a technology organization that supports our business plan and objectives.”
Prior to joining Buffalo Wild Wings, Mr. Abraham spent 10 years at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., directing transformation programs to modernize enterprise technology and overhaul a core reservation system, among other IT initiatives. From 1997 to 2006 he was senior practice manager, transportation & travel services at Accenture Ltd. In this role he directed multi-million dollar IT solution engagements for logistics, travel and entertainment, hotel and resort clients including Cendant Corp., Carnival Corp., Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and US Freightways. Mr. Abraham holds a master of science in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a bachelor of science in computer engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Mr. Abraham served as the board IT committee member of United Way of Miami-Dade and served as the campaign chair for Royal Caribbean.
Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc., founded in 1982 and headquartered in Minneapolis, is a growing owner, operator and franchisor of Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants featuring a variety of boldly-flavored, made-to-order menu items including its namesake Buffalo, New York-style chicken wings. The Buffalo Wild Wings menu specializes in 21 mouth-watering signature sauces and seasonings with flavor sensations ranging from Sweet BBQ to Blazin’. Guests enjoy a welcoming neighborhood atmosphere that includes an extensive multi-media system for watching their favorite sporting events. Buffalo Wild Wings is the recipient of hundreds of “Best Wings” and “Best Sports Bar” awards from across the country. There are currently more than 1,200 Buffalo Wild Wings locations around the world.
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