KFC veteran to optimize Zaxby’s partnerships between suppliers and franchisees
Saucy chicken chain Zaxby’s welcomes Carl Mount as chief supply chain officer effective January 17. With 25 years of experience, Mount comes to Zaxby’s most recently from Starbucks, where he served as senior vice president for supply chain operations. Prior to his Starbucks tenure, Mount was head of supply chain for KFC Global. At Zaxby’s, Mount will manage partnerships across the supply chain industry to maximize the investments of franchisees.
“Having served in roles both in supply chain and procurement for global brands, Carl will help us optimize solutions that better serve our franchisees, team members and guests for maximum resiliency to supply chain challenges now and in the future,” said Bernard Acoca, Zaxby’s CEO. “I am excited to partner with Carl again and begin the new year with a strong leadership team that can continue executing our ambitious goals for growing Zaxby’s in the QSR space.”
Mount represents the latest addition to Zaxby’s executive leadership team, which has been completely revamped since Acoca’s arrival in January 2022.
Mount has spent his career in the food and beverage industry, providing exceptional contributions across general management, manufacturing, logistics, and procurement functions for multibillion dollar companies, including PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Yum! Brands and Starbucks in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Mount was paramount in implementing processes and tools at Starbucks to generate real-time action, identifying and minimizing supply chain disruptions during the pandemic.
While at Yum! Brands, serving as the head of supply chain for KFC Global, he focused heavily on margin improvement for the company’s three international brands, utilizing a playbook of collaborative tools between suppliers, franchisees and franchisor, ultimately improving margins by several hundred million dollars. Mount is well known in the industry for his ability to build teams and grow people capability. He and Acoca previously worked together at Starbucks.
Mount received his business degree at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and holds an MBA in finance from the Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business. He serves as board chair for The USC Marshall Randall R. Kendrick Global Supply Chain Institute.
“I am thrilled to be joining Zaxby’s at this point in its growth journey,” Mount said. “I met with motivated franchisees and strong experienced leaders which ignited my passion for this brand. Having an opportunity to work with Bernard again was the icing on the cake. Supply chains are volatile and delicate; I look forward to bringing my experience to this team.”
Founded in 1990, Zaxby’s is committed to serving delicious chicken fingers, wings, sandwiches and salads with Southern hospitality and a modern twist. Zaxby’s iconic Signature Sandwich received Thrillist’s Fasties Award for Best Fried Chicken Sandwich in both 2021 and 2022. Zaxby’s has grown to more than 900 locations in 17 states and is headquartered in Athens, Georgia. For more information, visit zaxbys.com or zaxbysfranchising.com.
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