• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Tariq Hassan has been named to the newly created role of chief marketing and customer growth officer at Wendy’s.

Hassan will report to Bob Wright, president and CEO, and serve on the Wendy's senior leadership team. 

“It is the second major leadership team announcement in a week for Wendy’s, which last week said that its U.S. market president, Pete Suerken, was returning to his old job as CEO of the company’s supply chain co-op,” according to Nation’s Restaurant News. 

Lindsay Radkoski, who has served as CMO, U.S. since 2024, will depart the organization after a transition period with Hassan over the coming weeks.

“Hassan is being tasked with turning around the brand’s sales decline,” according to Brand Innovators. “Wendy’s reported a 7% drop in U.S. same-restaurant sales for the latest quarter. Hassan joins with more than three decades of global marketing leadership across restaurants, technology and consumer brands.”

Prior to joining Wendy's, he was senior vice president and U.S. chief marketing and customer experience officer for McDonald's, where he led marketing and digital transformation efforts across the U.S. business, helping strengthen digital engagement, loyalty and customer-first marketing strategies.

“Hassan has his ear to the rail when it comes to merging fast food with culture,” according to Adweek. “In his nearly four years at McDonald’s, he presided over the surprise midnight revival of its legendary Szechuan Sauce, the comeback of Grimace, and the 'famous orders” campaign’s addition of the the Cardi B & Offset Meal and the Mariah [Carey] Menu.”

Before McDonald's, Hassan held senior leadership roles with Petco, Bank of America and Hewlett-Packard, where he led marketing, brand, customer experience and growth initiatives. He also spent several years in the advertising industry, serving in strategic leadership positions with leading global agencies.  

Hassan was also founder and CEO of Light21, an advisory firm focused on helping organizations modernize marketing through data, artificial intelligence and connected technologies.