Leadership

Annica Conrad named CMO of Great American Cookies parent company

Global Franchise Group also added two additional executives under CEO Paul Damico.
Global Franchise Group
Photo courtesy of Global Franchise Group

Global Franchise Group, the operator of several franchised restaurant brands including Great American Cookies, Hot Dog on a Stick and Round Table Pizza, on Monday named Annica Conrad the company’s new chief marketing officer.

The Atlanta-based company, which also operates Pretzelmaker and Marble Slab Creamery, named a pair of new vice presidents in Jason Dowd, vice president of culinary innovation, and Jon Gordon, vice president of creative services.

The company said that it made the changes following an organizational restructuring, “priming the business for future acquisitions and growth.”

“We are building a shared service platform that will enable us to best champion our current and future brands,” CEO Paul Damico said in a statement. “Our leadership team has the industry experience and know-how to get us there.”

Conrad joined Global Franchise Group, or GFG, in 2018 and was executive vice president of brand marketing for the company’s brands. She spearheaded co-brand locations for Great American Cookies and Marble Slab Creamery, for instance, and directed the company’s COVID-19 task force.

Dowd comes to GFG from Intercontinental Hotel Group, where he had been director of culinary innovation. He previously worked with Focus Brands, Consumer Capital Partners and Darden Restaurants.

Gordon comes to GFG from Focus, where he led the company’s in-house agency team that worked with the company’s fast-food brands.

GFG’s brands operate 1,400 corporate and franchise stores and has systemsales of nearly $1 billion.

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