Focus Brands strengthens leadership team with new chief people officer, restaurant category president

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Focus Brands strengthens leadership team with new chief people officer, restaurant category president

20 Apr 2021

Jordan Winter

Jordan Winter is a journalist who wants to learn more and teach others about the world through storytelling. Dedicated to positive social change, her reporting is informed by years of experience writing, designing, and producing multimedia content for mission-driven publications and nonprofits.

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ATLANTA — Focus Brands, parent company of iconic brands such as Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon, announced Guillermo Cremer as its new chief people officer and Joe Guith as restaurant brands category president.

“We are thrilled to have Guillermo and Joe at the helm of two critical areas of our organization,” said Jim Holthouser, CEO for Focus Brands. “As our company grows, we will continue to put an intense emphasis on our people and culture while providing best-in-class service to our brand franchisees and suppliers to drive our company forward.”

Cremer brings more than 20 years of human resources experience to Focus Brands, with a special emphasis on talent development; change management; and implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion strategies. He joins Focus Brands most recently from Kimberly Clark in Atlanta, where he spent seven years supporting different business units. In that role, he delivered strategic HR leadership, led development programs for employees and actively participated in an HR transformation to support the changing needs of the organization. While there, he also oversaw the HR function for the Latin America business unit. Cremer has also served in several HR leadership roles at General Mills and Procter & Gamble. He holds a master’s degree from Purdue University and a bachelor’s degree from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico.

"We are thrilled to have Guillermo and Joe at the helm of two critical areas of our organization," said Jim Holthouser, CEO for Focus Brands. "As our company grows, we will continue to put an intense emphasis on our people and culture while providing best-in-class service to our brand franchisees and suppliers to drive our company forward."

Joe Guith, currently the president of McAlister’s Deli, has been promoted to restaurant brands category president. He has held the brand president position at McAlister’s Deli, another part of Focus Brands’ portfolio, from 2018 to 2021 and Cinnabon from 2015 to 2018, with both brands seeing steady growth and expanded customer bases during his tenure. Guith’s expertise of operating restaurants, combined with his passion for growing brands, accelerating digital capabilities and developing high-performing teams, will be incredibly valuable to the Focus Brands portfolio of restaurants. During his time in the food and beverage industry, he also served in general management and strategic roles with the Coca-Cola Company and Yum! Brands. Guith holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Michigan.

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