Panera announces the appointment of Marlene M. Gordon as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary starting from May 2. With over 20 years of industry experience, Gordon joins Panera from Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., where she most recently served as Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Secretary.

Gordon’s career spans multiple industries and includes high-level roles at Bacardi, Burger King Corporation, Republic Industries Inc. and Blockbuster Entertainment Group. She holds a B.A. in Economics with honors from the University of Chicago, a JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and is also a Harvard Business School Certified Organizational Leader.

Her hire is the latest addition to Panera’s leadership team, which has expanded to bring on industry veterans from companies including Kraft, Yum! Brands, sweetgreen, Unilever, Pepsi, CVS, Accenture and Coca-Cola.

“I’m excited to join Panera Brands at a such a transformational time. There are countless opportunities where I can dive in and add value, between Panera’s growth strategy for its complementary and iconic brands, the company’s focus on innovation and its people-first culture,” she said in a statement.

“We are thrilled to extend a warm welcome to Marlene as she joins the executive team as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary for both Panera Brands and Panera Bread,” said Niren Chaudhary, Chief Executive Officer, Panera Brands and Panera Bread. “Having a leader of Marlene’s caliber on board will support us during this exciting time for our portfolio of brands and expand our best-in-class executive team.”

As of March 29, 2022, there were 2,117 bakery-cafes in 48 states in the U.S. and in Ontario, Canada, operating under the Panera Bread® or Saint Louis Bread Co.® names. Panera Bread is part of Panera Brands, one of the largest fast-casual restaurant companies in the U.S., comprised of Panera Bread®, Caribou Coffee® and Einstein Bros.® Bagels.

Photo: Panera Bread LinkedIn