The Wendy's Co. is announcing the appointment of Pete Suerken as president, U.S. He will report to interim Chief Executive Officer Ken Cook and serve on the Wendy's senior leadership team. Suerken will succeed Abigail Pringle, who has served as president, U.S. since 2024 and will depart the company in the coming weeks to pursue other opportunities after a transition period with Suerken.

Suerken has served as president and CEO of Wendy's Quality Supply Chain Co-op, the independent purchasing cooperative for the Wendy's system, since 2021. QSCC works closely with company operators and franchisees, leading supply chain and distribution activities for Wendy's restaurants around the globe. He has more than two decades of experience in the food, beverage, and restaurant industries. Prior to joining QSCC, Suerken served as president of packaging and materials provider Resin Technology Inc. Prior to his time at RTI, he spent 13 years at Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions, the co-op of Yum Brands.

"Delivering exceptional customer experiences, increasing restaurant-level profitability and accelerating growth are crucial priorities for our U.S business," Cook says. "I am confident Pete will lead our business with operational excellence and intensity, helping us achieve our long-term strategic priorities to create value for our franchisees, employees, and shareholders."

"I want to thank Abigail Pringle for her 23 years of commitment to our brand ... Abigail has been a key leader of restaurant development at Wendy's, including our Image Activation journey and creation of the modern restaurant image for the brand. She transformed our International business and put a solid structure in place to optimize restaurant performance in the U.S.," he finishes.

"The opportunity to lead the U.S. business for this iconic brand is exciting and humbling," Suerken says. "I have had the privilege to serve our franchisees and company operators as CEO of QSCC for the past five years and now look forward to working with them as president, U.S. to drive profitable growth for our restaurants while continuing to build a high-performance culture and best-in-class customer experience."

Related: