Little Caesars has promoted Ed Gleich from the chief innovation officer role to president of global services, while Paula Vissing has been promoted from the chief operating officer role to president of Little Caesars retail. The two presidents will report to Dave Scrivano, whose title will change from CEO/president to CEO.
In his elevated role, Gleich will oversee the U.S. and international supply chain, bakery operations, equipment, restaurant design evolution and automation/engineering.
Gleich has been with the company since 2011, starting as head of marketing. In that role, he was charged with increasing restaurant-level sales and profits by expanding the brand into national media advertising, launching a new brand identity, and promoting successful limited-time offers. Gleich also oversaw the evolution of the brand’s core menu, with additions like the Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pizza, lunch combo and the “ExtraMostBestest” product line. More recently, as chief innovation and strategy officer, he launched sales growth drivers such as native and marketplace delivery.
Prior to Little Caesars, Gleich held leadership roles at several restaurant chains, including Golden Corral, Arby’s, Domino’s Pizza, and Uno Chicago Grill. The Chicago-area native holds a degree in business from Emporia State University.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to build upon the company’s strong foundation of value, quality, and convenience in this new role,” Gleich said in a statement. “Little Caesars has excelled at innovation and service for over 60 years, striving every day to make customers’ lives easier. Our ability to set the stage for franchise growth is what makes it such an exciting time to be a part of this storied brand.”
In her elevated role, Vissing will continue to oversee the global business and will add global marketing and global development to her oversight.
Vissing has served in expanding roles at Little Caesars, joining in 2011 as vice president of purchasing and quality assurance. She was then promoted to senior vice president of international where she was responsible for all locations in more than two dozen countries and territories. Under her leadership, Little Caesars experienced the largest period of international growth in the country’s 60-plus-year history. As chief operating officer, she led key global business functions during a period of expansion and sales growth. She has more than 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry, including positions at Captain D’s and Yum Brands’ co-op, Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions. The Kentucky native has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville and a master’s degree from the University of Kentucky.
“It is an exciting time for the company as we continue to experience tremendous growth and I am honored to have the opportunity to take on this incredible leadership role,” Vissing said in a statement. “I look forward to further collaboration with franchisees, colleagues and the executive team as we continue to bring delicious pizzas to families around the world at such an incredible value.”
“We have such tremendous talent at Little Caesars, and we’re thrilled to promote from within for these two key roles,” Scrivano said in a statement. “Paula has delivered incredible business results both domestically and abroad, and Ed has driven significant global sales growth with game-changing innovations, new products and brand building initiatives improving the guest experience.”
Little Caesars finished 2022 as the third largest pizza chain behind just Domino’s and Pizza Hut and grew sales year-over-year by 11.6% to $4.7 billion, according to Datassential. To support its growth, the company also named Leigh Burnside as CFO in February and promoted Greg Hamilton to CMO late last year.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]