Friendly’s Ice Cream LLC has continued rebuilding its executive suite following its emergence from bankruptcy in January with the appointment of Patrick Hickey as its chief financial officer.
Hickey’s appointment was effective April 23, the company said in an announcement last week. He replaces Steve Sanchioni, who officially left in November to pursue other interests but continued to consult with Friendly’s through their emergence from bankruptcy in January.
Most recently, Hickey was an independent consultant working on long-term assignments as chief executive and chief operating officer for Staples China and chief financial officer for Canadian men’s clothing company Grafton-Fraser, Inc.
Hickey is a certified public accountant with a bachelor of science degree from the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., a masters degree in industrial administration from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and a masters degree in taxation from Bentley College in Waltham, Mass.
“We feel fortunate to have a man with Pat’s experience at our financial helm,” said executive vice president, chief operating officer and acting chief executive Jim Parrish. “Pat’s experience will be invaluable to the entire Friendly’s organization as we continue to build on our company’s 76-year history of providing great food and ice cream in a family-friendly environment.”
Parrish is acting as interim chief executive following the resignation in February of former CEO Harsha Agadi. John Maguire, former chief operating officer of Panera Bread Co., is slated to take over as Friendly’s CEO on May 31.
Earlier this month, Friendly’s named a new executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Anthony Lavely. He replaces Andrea McKenna, who left the company at the same time as Agadi.
Friendly’s filed for bankruptcy protection in October 2011 and emerged in January after closing 100 restaurants and shedding much of its debt.
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