Potbelly veteran joins Wendy's C-suite
A quick-serve hamburger chain is welcoming a new executive to its C-suite.
The Wendy’s Company has named Steve Cirulis as chief financial officer and chief strategy officer, effective June 23. He will succeed Ken Cook, who has served as chief financial officer since 2024 along with a brief period as interim CEO. Cook will remain in an advisory position through July to facilitate a smooth transition.
Cirulus brings nearly 30 years of experience to Wendy’s. Most recently, he served as the chief financial officer and chief strategy officer for Potbelly Sandwich Works for more than five years, where he led all financial, strategy, analytics and risk management functions.
While at Potbelly, Cirulis partnered with Wendy’s current CEO, Bob Wright (who served as Potbelly’s CEO from 2020 to 2025), to lead a company turnaround that, over their tenure, experienced a more than 500% increase in share price, double-digit growth in average unit volumes, substantial restaurant margin expansion and more, according to Wendy’s.
"Driving solid financial discipline, topline growth and enhanced franchisee profitability are essential to our future success," said Wright, who took the reins of Wendy’s in May and had two previous stints with the chain. "I am confident that Steve will play a critical role as we execute the turnaround of Wendy's, driving growth and generating value for our franchisees, employees and shareholders. With decades of deep experience across large-scale retail and restaurant brands, Steve brings a wealth of expertise across a breadth of disciplines that will benefit our system from day one."
Prior to Potbelly, Cirulis held senior strategy and finance roles at global restaurant and retail brands including Panera Bread, McDonald's and Gap Inc.
[READ MORE: Wendy’s launches turnaround plan to drive growth, profitability]
"It is an honor to join this iconic brand at such a pivotal time in its history," said Cirulis. "I believe there is a tremendous opportunity at Wendy's to drive topline growth, franchisee profitability and improved shareholder value, and I am eager to get to work with our talented employees and franchisees to unlock the potential of our entire system."
Founded in 1969, The Wendy’s Company operates more than 7,000 restaurants worldwide.
