CEO Darren Tipton is investing in his team as 2024 begins, appointing strong leaders and reaffirming the franchise’s focus on people and culture.
Paris Baguette has been bringing the neighborhood bakery café concept to life throughout the U.S. since 2015, serving their beloved cakes, pastries and breads to new communities across the country. After a year of staggering growth—with 43 new cafés opened across the U.S. and Canada, over 100 new franchises awarded and 50 leases signed for cafés in development—CEO Darren Tipton kicked-off 2024 with five internal promotions to round out the leadership team.
“2023 was an incredible year for growth in the Paris Baguette system, and with another big year ahead of us, it was only fitting to both celebrate these successes and prepare for ongoing growth by recognizing those who have played crucial roles all along,” said Tipton. “The team at Paris Baguette is a huge part of what makes us who we are, and these five truly embody our Brand Values. I am proud to have them by my side as we continue to work toward reestablishing the neighborhood bakery café as the heart of the community across North America.”
The promotions include:
- Saeyong Park, who is transitioning from Vice President of Finance and Accounting to Chief Financial Officer, has been with Paris Baguette for nine years having led corporate strategy as well as strategic planning. Saeyong brings his rich and varied financial experience to the table having spent several years with Paris Baguette’s parent company, SPC Group headquartered in Korea.
- Michelle Jagroop has taken on the role of Chief People Officer, previously the Vice President of Human Resources and training. Michelle has been with Paris Baguette for five years and brings 25 years of human resources experience from multiple retail brands including Bowlero, Macy’s and Liz Claiborne to name a few. She has led multiple facets of HR such as leadership development, performance management as well as organizational growth and talent strategies.
- Nick Scaccio has transitioned into the Chief Operating Officer role, with nearly 20 years of operations experience and 3 years with Paris Baguette. During his time at Paris Baguette, Nick has served as Vice President of Revenue and Strategic Development, as well as Vice President of Operations. Nick is known for driving efficiencies as well as his transformative leadership skills with rapidly-expanding brands.
- Eric Galkin has transitioned from Vice President of Supply Chain Management to Chief Supply Chain Officer, with 3 decades of experience in several high-end procurement and supply chain operations. Eric led initiatives for multiple organizations including OTG Management, Delaware North’s patina restaurant group and farm-to-table pioneer distributor D’artagnan Inc.
- Cathy Chavenet has stepped into the role of Chief Marketing Officer having previously led marketing and culinary initiatives as SVP & Head of Marketing at Paris Baguette. Cathy has extensive experience with major QSR brands such as Dunkin’ and the Wendy’s Company. She owned and operated her own French bakery & cafe locations in New York as well as internationally in Paris, France.
In 2023, Tipton also welcomed Eric Lavinder to the system as Chief Development Officer and added in-house General Counsel, Kyle Chung to further support the growth of the Paris Baguette system.
With the completed C-Suite team in place, Tipton said there is a pathway to open 100 bakery cafés this year and award another 150 franchises in the U.S. and Canada.
“At Paris Baguette, community is at our core. We believe it’s the people that make the experience that much sweeter. As we continue to grow, we will hold fast to our Brand Values. I have full confidence that this leadership team will champion our vision as we continue to build and scale across North America,” he added.
Paris Baguette is a bakery café franchise with more than 4,000 units across the globe. The global brand first franchised in the U.S. in 2015 and has since established over 150 locations in markets across the country, making it one of the premier franchise opportunities in its category. Paris Baguette’s primary mission, executed every day by its expert staff of bakers, cakers and baristas, is to share moments of joy with guests and help guests share moments of joy with their friends and family by providing world-class cakes, pastries, coffees, breads and other French-inspired bakery café fare. To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://OwnaParisBaguette.com.
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