How CEO Shannon Hennessy's Background Prepared Her to Lead The Habit Burger Grill
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Shannon Hennessy, CEO of The Habit Burger Grill, quality made-to-order food and a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. Listen in as Hennessy provides an overview of The Habit Burger Grill business (1:00), her career journey (2:30), and the importance of having financial strategy experience to prepare for a chief executive role (5:30). She shares her vision for company growth (7:10) and the leadership lessons she’s learned during her career (9:25).
In addition, Hennessy touches on turning challenges into positive opportunities (12:20), work/life integration and setting clear boundaries (15:15). Lastly, she shares what she’s most looking forward to for the rest of 2024 both personally and professionally (18:15).
This episode was recorded live at Shoptalk Spring 2024 in Las Vegas.
Hennessy is the chief executive officer of The Habit Burger Grill Division, reporting directly to the Yum! Brands CEO. In this role, Hennessy aims to break the “craft ceiling” and make The Habit the global powerhouse brand in the better-burger category through an ambitious agenda to scale its unmatched cook-to-order expertise, modernize the experience for off-premise dining and achieve industry-leading margins. Hennessy previously served as president of The Habit Burger Grill Division, leading advancements for the brand by strengthening the business model via margin improvement and digital sales growth.
She first joined Yum! in 2020 as the chief financial officer of KFC Global Division, where she was responsible for leading the global finance function and ensuring continued growth and profitability of the KFC business. She also oversaw the brand’s financial planning, supply chain management and strategy functions. Prior to joining Yum!, Hennessy worked for McKinsey & Company, where she served as managing partner of the Dallas office and served clients in retail, packaged goods, travel and logistics industries. While there, she led the Dallas office to achieve record high consultant satisfaction scores and championed significant increases in talent diversity. Hennessy received her Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and earned her MBA at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
Date: April 2, 2024
Credits: Shannon Hennessy
Duration: 19:41
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