South Korean bakery and café restaurant chain Paris Baguette has finally rounded out its C-suite after the promotion of Darren Tipton to CEO in 2020. The chain, which has its U.S. base in New Jersey, has announced five internal promotions including a new chief marketing officer, chief financial officer, chief people officer, chief operating officer, and chief supply chain officer.
From 2021 to 2022, the mid-sized chain grew by 25%, opening 24 stores in 12 months, with substantial expansion plans in the works for the future. In 2023, the brand opened 43 units and began 2024 with over 100 new franchisees awarded and 50 leases signed.
With the completed C-suite team in place, Tipton said in a release there is a “pathway to open 100 bakery cafés this year and award another 150 franchises in the U.S. and Canada.”
That would bring the brand to almost 300 locations.
The promotions include:
Saeyong Park, the former vice president of finance and accounting, has been promoted to CFO. Park has been with Paris Baguette for nine years, having led corporate strategy as well as strategic planning. He previously spent several years with Paris Baguette’s parent company, SPC Group, headquartered in Korea.
Michelle Jagroop, previously the vice president of human resources and training, is now the brand’s CPO. Jagroop 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. She has led multiple facets of HR such as leadership development and performance management, as well as organizational growth and talent strategies.
Nick Scaccio has been named COO after spending the past three years with Paris Baguette. During his time at the company, Nick has served as vice president of revenue and strategic development, as well as vice president of operations. He is known for driving efficiencies as well as his transformative leadership skills.
Eric Galkin has transitioned from vice president of supply chain management to chief supply chain officer. Galkin led initiatives for multiple organizations including OTG Management, Delaware North’s Patina Restaurant Group, and farm-to-table distributor D’Artagnan Inc.
Cathy Chavenet has been named CMO and previously led marketing and culinary initiatives as senior vice president and head of marketing at Paris Baguette. She has extensive experience at Dunkin’ and the Wendy’s Company.