Global Chicken Brand Adds Fortune 500-Level HR Experience to Executive Team
With Church’s Chicken making system-wide changes to accelerate domestic and international growth, the brand has hired a new head of Human Resources. Karen Jean Viera will be joining the company as its new Vice President and Chief People Officer. In her new role, Viera will oversee full cycle Human Resources and Internal Communications. Viera will shape, direct, and implement HR policy and procedures related to staffing, talent acquisition, on-boarding and training, employee retention, team member relations, benefits and compensation, HR administration, on a corporate level, globally. And, with the company’s renewed and heightened focus on robust communications, Viera will also lead strategy and team member engagement over the recently developed internal communications function.
Viera will report directly to CEO, Joe Christina, and work side by side with other C-level executives in shaping the strategic future of Church’s.
“Ms. Viera is a tremendous addition to our executive team and we are excited to leverage her leadership, expertise, and diversity of thought at the highest level,” said Christina. “A proven leader like Ms. Viera will help us build and elevate our talent through development, mentorship, robust performance management and workforce planning strategies. This is another exciting move as we continue to follow through on our vision to be the Global Franchisor of Choice by developing winning teams, a core strategic goal of the organization.”
Prior to joining Church’s, Viera held Chief-, VP-, and Senior-level HR positions with such Fortune 500 companies as WellCare Health Plans, Inc. and Assurant, Inc. Her most current role was SVP and Chief Human Resource Officer for MCIC Vermont – an insurance and risk management firm that specializes in the medical and healthcare professional industry, where she designed and executed a strategic plan that enhanced employee satisfaction ratings by 5% in a single year and worked with the CEO and Board of Directors to enact and launch succession plans, metrics reporting, and officer recruitment tactics. She also formerly worked with Wellcare Health Plans, Inc. where she helped lead a company of 6,000 employees in eleven of their states in lowering turnover, establishing corporate cost savings, ensuring continuity across mergers and acquisitions, and enhancing overall productivity.
“Church’s is one of the world’s most recognized restaurant brands and I’m excited to be a part of that energy,” said Viera. “I strongly believe that my in-depth expertise, coupled with my hands-on approach to human resources can help propel the brand and its people to new heights. The values and culture at Church’s are already well in line with those of global leaders, and with some innovation and planning, I am certain that we can reach – and exceed – our goals.”
Viera is a graduate of Florida International University, Chapman Graduate School of Business in Miami, Florida, where she earned her Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Human Resources from Trinity International University, also in Miami. Viera is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional, holds a Senior Professional Human Resource Management Certification (HRCI), and is a DiSC Certified Training Instructor. Karen is serving her second term on the State Workforce Development Board, a Division of the Economic Development Board, for the state of Georgia, a Governor appointed assignment. Karen and her family reside in Roswell.
Founded in San Antonio, TX in 1952 by George W. Church, Church’s Chicken, along with its sister brand Texas Chicken outside of the Americas, is one of the largest quick service chicken restaurant chains in the world. The brands specialize in Original and Spicy Chicken freshly prepared throughout the day in small batches that are hand-battered and double-breaded, Tender Strips, honey-butter biscuits made from scratch and freshly baked, and classic, home-style sides all for a great value. Church’s Chicken and Texas Chicken have more than 1,650 locations in 27 countries and global markets and system-wide sales of more than $1 billion. For more information about Texas Chicken franchising opportunities, visit http://www.churchs.com/franchise_get-started.php. For more information about Church’s Chicken visit www.churchs.com. Follow Church’s at www.facebook.com/churchschicken and www.twitter.com/churchschicken.
