Just days after the announcement it was relocating
its headquarters from St. Louis to the Boston area, Panera already had a new CMO.
The fast-casual chain posted a release to its website stating that Andrew Rebhun had joined the company as
CMO. Rebhun, who came from CAVA, where he was chief marketing and experience officer, replaces Mark Shambura, who started at the company just two years ago.
“[Rebhun’s] extensive
expertise in the restaurant industry and focus on brand building, customer engagement, loyalty and growth strategy will be invaluable as we continue to transform our business,” said Carbone in
the release.
Rebhun also previously served as CMO for El Pollo Loco and as a marketing director for McDonald’s. He will be based out of the brand’s current support center in
Newton, MA.
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The CMO appointment follows an internal company memo from CEO Paul Carbone earlier this week, which was posted to reddit, that read, “I’m saddened to share that after careful consideration, Mark Shambura, CMO, has
made the personal decision not to relocate and will be leaving Panera.”
Late last week the chain, which was founded as the St Louis Bread Co. and still operates under that name in the
area, announced new headquarters in Boston suburb of Weston, which will open in July of 2027. “We understand this is a significant change, but one that is necessary to drive forward our RISE
strategy that will lead us into the future,” Carbone said in a memo.
Carbone, who joined Panera in 2023 and became CEO in March 2025, is no stranger to the Boston area, having previously
serving as CFO at both Dunkin’ and SharkNinja.
Panera launched its “RISE” transformation strategy, which stands for Refresh the menu, Ignite value, Serve guests with
excellence and Expand the network, earlier in 2026 in response to several years of declining traffic and stagnant sales.