Former Nike exec rules development roost at Church’s Chicken
Former Nike executive Tony Moralejo has been appointed chief development officer at Church’s Chicken. Moralejo will be responsible for domestic and international expansion for the global chicken chain, as well as franchising, re-imaging, construction and real estate management.
He will report directly to president and CEO Jim Hyatt and will be a member of the brand’s executive team.
Moralejo has more than 15 years of experience and held various high-profile senior positions within the Burger King Corporation, including providing leadership in development, franchising, real estate, finance and marketing. He was also the brand’s international general counsel. Tony was the VP of development for the Latin America and Caribbean regions where he cultivated an aggressive pipeline that led the company to an unprecedented growth into new countries. Most recently, Moralejo lead a multi-functional team which negotiated and implemented new joint venture companies and master franchise models to accelerate growth and international presence in key countries.
Earlier in Tony’s career he was the senior director of partner and franchised management in the direct to consumer group at Nike, and was a member of the brand’s global leadership retail team. After receiving his law degree, Moralejo established a private practice where he specialized in real estate, commercial development and real estate financing.
“Tony is a valuable addition to Church’s management team and has a vast amount of experience and an impressive track record in restaurant development and building relationships with franchisees,” said Hyatt. “He will be instrumental in spearheading and accelerating the brand’s growth plans both domestically and internationally.”
Tony Moralejo graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in business administration and received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
The Church’s system consists of more than 1,700 locations in 25 countries.