Speakers 2023

Nabeel Alamgir was born in Bangladesh, moved to Kuwait 7 years later, and to Queens, New York 7 years after that. Nabeel began his career as the first busboy at the Bareburger flagship store in Astoria, and spent his free […]

Geoff Alexander joined Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises in 1993 and was named Managing Partner in 2006, and took the reins of their Asian concept, Wow Bao, in 2009. An innovative leader in both technology and social media, Geoff disrupted […]

Frances Allen joined Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. as President and CEO in February of 2020. Ms. Allen brought to Checkers & Rally’s a history of success in the restaurant industry and deep expertise across brand strategy, menu and marketing, franchising, […]

Jose Armario has been Chief Executive Officer and President of Bojangles since January 2019. His strong and visionary leadership has led Bojangles to become a more unified, innovative and nimble brand. Armario has more than 40 years of senior leadership […]

Sarah Beckett, the Director of Marketing for Intouch Insight, a Customer Experience software and services company, is committed to delivering value-added insights to Intouch’s customers and broader CX communities. As part of her role, she leads the team responsible for […]

Jimmy Bennett is the VP of media, social, and partnerships for Wendy’s, where he heads up the connections team and leads all external consumer touchpoints including media, social, partnerships, content, digital, owned and gaming. Previously, Mr. Bennett worked in integrated […]

Loren Bontrager is the Vice President of Franchise and Development at MAD Greens, the Colorado-born brand known for its flavorful salads. Loren has a well-rounded background in franchising having spent over 10 years in various leadership positions at notable companies […]

As CEO of The Melt, Ralph Bower leads the helm following an incredibly successful and prolific career developing and advancing national fast-casual brands. Bower is a proven brand builder who has guided the development of some of the country’s most […]

Shawn Caric is currently the Vice President of Franchise Development for Smoothie King. Caric leads franchise recruitment and strategic franchise expansion across key markets across the United States for the iconic 1,400-unit brand. Prior to joining Smoothie King in November […]