The Habit Burger Grill on Wednesday named Jack Hinchliffe its new global chief marketing officer and said that Iwona Alter, its chief brand officer, will now be its chief operating officer.
Hinchliffe is a 15-year industry veteran, having spent the past eight years with Habit parent company Yum Brands. He joined KFC in the UK and Ireland in 2015 as senior marketing manager and was then named head of innovation.
He was promoted twice more, to marketing director and then chief marketing officer.
Hinchliffe now joins Habit, the Irvine, Calif.-based chain that Yum acquired in 2020. He will report to Shannon Hennessy, the brand’s president. “I had the pleasure of working with Jack at KFC, and I’m elated to have him join our team,” she said.
Hennessy noted that KFC UKI won multiple awards under his leadership. She called Hinchliffe a “true marketing powerhouse” who “has the skills, experience and passion to take The Habit to the next level of brand awareness and distinctiveness.”
Hinchliffe’s hiring comes as Alter was moved over to chief operating officer. The company said that Alter helped Habit accomplish a number of “firsts,” including its first ad campaign and its first consumer insights discipline. The company also said that the company grew its digital marketing function. Habit operates more than 350 restaurants.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.