• by Teresa Buyikian , November 12, 2024

After what the chain’s Chairman of the Board Scott Maw describes as a “thorough and rigorous external search process,” Chipotle Mexican Grill announced yesterday it has appointed Scott Boatwright as CEO and member of the board.

The position is effective immediately.

Boatwright had served as the chain’s interim CEO since August, when, in a much-publicized move, previous CEO Brian Niccol resigned to assume the role of CEO of sales-challenged Starbucks.

Maw said in the press release that the CEO search “confirmed Scott is absolutely the best person to lead the next stage of growth at Chipotle.” He added “Today's announcement is an affirmation of both Scott's leadership capability and our internal succession planning process. The board overwhelmingly believes Scott will deliver on the key strategies in place and position the company for continued success."

Boatwright is a longtime Chipotle executive, serving as COO since 2017. In his role as CEO he’s responsible for over than 125,000 employees and more than 3,600 stores. The chain said he has “led the integration of new technology into restaurants, built a strong culture aligned to the organization's values, and achieved industry-leading retention rates yielding impressive outcomes and improvements in throughput.”

Earlier in his career, Boatwright spent 18 years with Arby's Restaurant Group, serving in various leadership positions, departing after serving as senior vice president of operations, where he was “responsible for the performance of over 1,700 Arby's restaurants in numerous states.”

"It is an honor to serve as the CEO of this purpose-driven brand and I look forward to providing greater opportunities for our employees, generating value for our shareholders and cultivating a better world for our communities," said Boatwright.