GPS Hospitality, one the nation’s largest franchisees of BURGER KING and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurants, today announces the promotion of Chris Phillips to Chief Strategy Officer – a newly created position designed to oversee the development and execution of the company’s dynamic growth strategy.
 
As GPS Hospitality’s first Chief Strategy Officer, Phillips has been charged with leading mergers and acquisitions, investor and broker relations, long-term strategic planning and companywide analytics. Phillips will expand on his previous work as Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning by leading the creation of the company’s New Leadership Development Platform, a multi-year initiative designed to improve restaurant-level employee engagement and reduce turnover. To execute this companywide initiative, Phillips has formed a multi-functional leadership team tasked with enhancing talent section, training, business acumen and cultural acclimation for GPS Hospitality’s more than 13,000 team members across the country.
 
“Chris has proven that he is frequently the person in the room who challenges the thinking of others, which generates discussion that might otherwise not happen,” said Tom Garrett, CEO and Founder of GPS Hospitality. “His background, along with his knowledge of GPS, will allow him to maintain a healthy balance of strategy development and execution, ensuring that all employees understand the details of the strategic plan and how their work connects to our corporate goals. I have full confidence that Chris is the right leader to help steer GPS forward in our Journey to 1 Billion.”
 
As CSO, Phillips will also focus his efforts on GPS Hospitality’s newly created data analytics department. This team is charged with harnessing raw data and translating it into bite-sized pieces that help leaders make better decisions – particularly in areas such as site selection, marketing, pricing, and employee performance.
 
“I’m looking forward to partnering with operations to build a pipeline of future leaders that can help GPS Hospitality achieve its goal of $1 billion in annual sales and beyond,” said Chris Phillips, CSO of GPS Hospitality. “Coupling a focused, multi-brand growth strategy with data-based decision making allows for the creation of new, exciting opportunities for our people to grow and develop. I am proud to be part of such a talented team and look forward to helping guide our future.”
 
Phillips is uniquely qualified for the role of Chief Strategy Officer due to his diverse background, including time as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, which followed 13 years with Darden Restaurants in progressive senior leadership capacities.
 
Phillips was brought on with GPS Hospitality in May 2017 from Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, where he served as Vice President of Finance, Strategy and Analytics and helped lead the transaction that brought Popeyes into the Restaurant Brands International portfolio.
 
Since 2016, Phillips has volunteered as chairman of the board of directors for No Longer Bound, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization that offers a 12-month long residential regeneration program designed to rescue addicts, regenerate men, and reconcile families. He has a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and an MBA from the University of Central Florida.