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Cheryl Bachelder          

Former CEO of Popeyes, Leadership Author, Brand Strategy Expert

Cheryl Bachelder is a highly skilled leadership keynote speaker and the former CEO of Popeyes® Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. Renowned for her adeptness in team building, motivation, innovation, and peak performance, she successfully led the transformation of Popeyes from 2007 to 2017, turning a struggling brand into a top-performing entity in the quick service restaurant industry. Her leadership book, "Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others," details this impressive turnaround. Beyond her role at Popeyes, Bachelder is celebrated for her effective leadership strategies and her significant experience in brand building with major companies like Beats by Dre and Nike.

In her earlier career, Bachelder held brand leadership positions at Yum Brands, Domino's Pizza, RJR Nabisco, The Gillette Company, and Procter & Gamble. She currently serves as a director and compensation committee chair at Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (PIR), and as a director of US Foods Holding Corp (USFD). She also advises Procter & Gamble's franchising venture, Tide Dry Cleaners. Additionally, Bachelder is committed to developing future leaders through her involvement with several ministries including Spring Hill Camps, Crossroad Farms, and CRU.

Bachelder holds a Bachelor’s and Masters of Business Administration degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Chris Bachelder. Together, they have three grown daughters, two son-in-laws, and two grandsons. Bachelder is a passionate advocate for leadership development, speaking at numerous conferences such as Work Matters, RightNow Media, Truth@Work, Servant Leadership Institute, Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, and Summit At Sea 2023. She continues to help organizations cultivate a culture that can thrive in today’s volatile and competitive global marketplace, focusing on creating confidence and making work engaging.

Speech Topics

Dare to Serve

How can leaders get breakthrough results? Cheryl Bachelder tells how she and her team engineered the extraordinary turnaround of Popeye Louisiana Kitchen by making a tough but rewarding decision to lead through service.

Cheryl Bachelder joined an ailing restaurant chain and turned it into the darling of the industry—by daring to serve the people in her organization well.

When Bachelder was named CEO of Popeyes in the fall of 2007, guest visits had been declining for years, restaurant sales and profit trends were negative, and the company stock price had dropped from $34 in 2002 to $13. The brand was stagnant, and relations between the company and its franchise owners were strained.

By 2014, average restaurant sales were up 25 percent, and profits were up 40 percent. Popeyes’ market share had grown from 14 percent to 21 percent, and the stock price was over $40. The franchisees were so pleased with the turnaround that they began reinvesting in the brand, rapidly remodeling restaurants, and building new units around the world.

The difference maker, Bachelder says, was a conscious decision to lead in a new way. She and her team created a workplace where people were treated with respect and dignity yet challenged to perform at the highest level. Silos and self were set aside in favor of collaboration and team play. And the results were measured with rigor and discipline. Servant leadership is sometimes derided as soft or ineffective, but this book shows that it’s actually challenging and tough minded—a daring path. Bachelder takes you firsthand through the transformation of Popeyes and shows how a leader at any level can become a Dare-to-Serve leader.

News

Getting fired from KFC made Cheryl Bachelder a better CEO of ...
Joann Lublin's "Earning It" features a story about how Cheryl Bachelder changed her leadership style after getting dismissed from a major restaurant chain.
Popeyes CEO To Women: Don't Waste Time Trying To Fit In

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