Longtime former Dunkin' exec joins Panera Bread C-suite

Panera Bread is continuing to add to its C-suite as it searches for a new chief executive.

Santhosh Kumar has joined the fast-casual chain as chief information officer, effective Feb. 12, reporting to interim CEO Paul Carbone. Kumar will lead the company’s technology organization, and will be responsible for the development, integration and deployment of technology across more than 2,200 Panera locations. In his new role, Kumar will partner with the Panera Bread leadership team and franchisees to drive an exceptional team member and guest experience.

Kumar joins Panera from grocery supplier United Natural Food, Inc. (UNFI), where he served as chief technology officer for over three years and led a multi-year warehouse transformation program and cloud modernization and migrations. Prior to UNFI, Kumar spent nearly 21 years at Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., including as senior VP of IT, leading the IT team globally through several retail and digital innovation initiatives. This included the rollout of new point-of-sale and back-office systems across all restaurants in the United States, as well as the development and launch of Dunkin’s loyalty program.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Santhosh to the Panera Bread leadership team,” said Carbone, who took over as interim CEO in January following the resignation of José Alberto Dueñas. “As the technology landscape continues to evolve, Santhosh brings the right combination of strategic technology expertise, industry experience and proven ability to build high-performing teams that will help drive Panera’s continued success.”