• June 8, 2007

Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Donuts has appointed Frances Allen to the position of brand marketing officer. She will be the brand's senior-most marketing executive and will handle development and execution of Dunkin' Donuts' marketing strategies and initiatives, advertising and new product launches worldwide.

Most recently, she was VP/marketing at Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, where she oversaw marketing for the U.S. and Canada. Prior to that, she served a number of executive roles at PepsiCo, including VP/Innovation. At Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo, she director of international advertising, overseeing the launches of Lays, Doritos and Cheetos brands into new global markets.

Allen's appointment coincides with the roll out of Dunkin' Donuts' program to expand in existing markets while entering new cities throughout the country, with plans to ultimately triple the number of Dunkin' Donuts stores in the United States to 15,000 by 2020. In the past month, the company announced its plans to open franchised restaurants in Las Vegas; Austin, Texas; Dallas, Phoenix, and Tallahassee and Panama City in Florida.

Dunkin' Donuts is supporting its expansion via partnerships with JetBlue, Proctor & Gamble, Rachael Ray and SoBe.--Karl Greenberg