Trailblazers: Black Leadership in Foodservice

The hiring of a new executive is both exciting and nerve-wracking for employee and company alike. A fresh voice can bring great energy and an enticing vision, yet change can be hard In 2021 Pizza Hut was still dealing with that fallout of the pandemic and the company needed a new direction. They needed someone who could put them back in the fight for the title of best pizza chain. The company hired Aaron Powell as CEO and he wasted no time in bringing a jolt to the iconic chain.

Powell was an interesting hire that had over a decade of executive leadership experience; however, he was an outsider in the restaurant industry. Powell previously worked at Kimberly-Clark and was named director of strategy in 2007. He took the next leap in 2020 when he was appointed as the company’s President of Asia Pacific consumer business. While at Kimberly-Clark one of his greatest accomplishments was leading the company through the 2014 Russian financial crisis. Powell has also worked at Procter & Gamble and Bain & Company.

2020 had halted development plans for many companies, yet the following years provided opportunity to return to expansion for those who were willing. Even though Powell had been at Pizza Hut less than a year, he pushed for and spearheaded the opening of 1,584 new stores, including 12,000(e) international locations, in 2022. The brand has also leaned into classic items and evoked the success they have had in decades past. The hiring of Powell came as a surprise as it marks his first experience in foodservice for one of the restaurant industry’s most iconic brands. The move has turned into a major boost for Pizza Hut as Powell’s extensive leadership experience and international business dealings have helped push their overseas presence. Domino’s is still the dominant pizza chain in the industry and Papa Johns has made headway in the past few years. Pizza Hut risked falling even further behind and they needed a big swing to level the playing field. To date, Powell has been everything the pizza chain could hope for, and he has positioned the company to be a powerhouse in 2024.