Subway restaurant. Credit: J2R/Shutterstock.comSubway Remains Quiet About New Chief Legal Officer
The sandwich chain has confirmed Ilene Kobert's appointment as the company's top lawyer, but has yet to officially announce her hiring or provide further details about her role at Subway, which is grappling with declining sales and thousands of store closures.
January 14, 2020 at 02:46 PM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Corporate Counsel
Subway Restaurants has hired a new top lawyer, but the struggling private company is staying tight-lipped about the leadership change in its legal department.
Ilene Kobert, a real estate lawyer and shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, will succeed Bethany Appleby as the sandwich chain's chief legal officer. A spokeswoman for Subway confirmed Kobert's appointment as the company's top lawyer but would not provide further details.
Meanwhile, Subway has yet to officially announce Kobert's hiring. The company's most recent press release, issued on Nov. 18, trumpets the return of the "ultimate garlic cheesy bread."
Trade publication Restaurant Business first reported Kobert's appointment as CLO on Jan. 9. The Subway spokeswoman declined requests on Tuesday to interview Kobert or the company's new CEO, John Chidsey.
So far, Chidsey has issued a brief statement about being "honored to be joining such an iconic global brand" and "most excited about the future of Subway." He also reportedly stated in an email to another trade publication, QSR, that the company was "committed to maximizing business performance, and streamlining our business model will help us realize greater efficiencies across the organization." But he has not given any interviews.
Chidsey and Kobert are both Burger King alums. As chairman and CEO of Burger King Holdings Inc., Chidsey helped the company navigate its more than $3.2 billion sale to global investment firm 3G Capital in 2010.
Kobert had two stints as an in-house attorney for Burger King from 2002 to 2004 and 2009 to 2011. As a director and senior attorney, she served as the main legal adviser to the company's real estate division, according to her LinkedIn profile.
After Burger King, Kobert landed at Greenberg Traurig's headquarters in Miami as a commercial real estate law specialist.
She now joins Subway as the company looks to stem declining sales and a record number of store closures, including 1,108 in 2018 and 1,106 last year, according to a report from the New York Post based on data from consulting firm Technomic Inc.
The Post also reported that Chidsey recently sent a 10-minute video to franchisees in which he criticized Subway's marketing strategy and announced that the firm's headquarters in Milford, Connecticut, was taking control of the advertising budget. The fund had been split between Subway headquarters and regional territories.
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