Chipotle Starts to Rebuild With New Marketing Director

By Chris Lange Updated Jan 12, 2:13AM EST · Published Mar 21, 1:25PM EDT

Follow 24/7 Wall St. on Google

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

Chipotle Starts to Rebuild With New Marketing Director — © Thinkstock

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (NYSE: CMG) shares saw a handy gain on Wednesday after the burrito chain announced that it would be adding a new executive. Specifically, the firm said that it would be adding Chris Brandt as its chief marketing officer in the coming month, replacing Mark Crumpacker, who left Chipotle last week.

Most recently, Brandt was at Bloomin’ Brands, where he served as executive vice president and chief brand officer across Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s, Bonefish Grill and Fleming’s. In this capacity, he oversaw a 75-person brand team and had responsibility for product innovation, brand positioning, product pipeline development, consumer insights, creative strategy and development, media strategy, loyalty and digital marketing across all four dining concepts.

Prior to this, Brandt was at Taco Bell and oversaw numerous successful new products, including Doritos Locos Tacos and the quesalupa, new dayparts such as Happier Hour and breakfast, digital initiatives such as the Taco Bell app, as well as other innovative media and sponsorship programs. Before joining Taco Bell, he held senior level marketing and brand development positions with Odwalla/Coca Cola and General Mills.

[nativounit]

Brian Niccol, CEO at Chipotle, commented:

Chris is an extremely talented and effective marketing executive. Having worked with Chris in the past, I have seen first-hand his ability to generate sales overnight and build brands over time. His experience and expertise make him an ideal fit for our leadership team at Chipotle as we look to reinvigorate this exceptional brand, and build sales, transactions and profitability.

Shares of Chipotle were last seen up about 5.6% at $338.07 on Wednesday, with a consensus analyst price target of $311.68 and a 52-week range of $247.52 to $499.00.

[recirclink id=431485]

[wallst_email_signup]

About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.