Paloma Azulay, chief brand officer of Burger King parent Restaurant Brands, exits company

Paloma Azulay, global chief brand officer of Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International, has left the company. She ascended to the role in early April after the departure of Fernando Machado, the high-profile marketer who had served as the company’s global chief marketing officer before leaving for Activision Blizzard. Azulay took the RBI job after serving as global CMO of the company’s Popeyes chain. She previously held the CMO role at Tim Hortons, also owned by RBI. Her resume also includes a lengthy stint at Coca-Cola Co. An RBI representative confirmed her departure, saying, “we are thankful for her many contributions to RBI and wish her well.” She will be replaced by Antonio Marques, who currently works in RBI’s Zurich office as its CMO for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. He previously worked at dairy giant Danone, according to his LinkedIn. Azulay’s departure was first reported by Adweek. Her exit comes as Burger King has lagging behind its peers. Wendy’s grew to become the No. 2 burger chain in the U.S. last year, thanks largely to the launch of its breakfast menu, eclipsing Burger King. Both are distant rivals behind McDonald’s, which has been growing due in part to its “Famous Orders” marketing campaigns featuring meals selected by celebrities, most recently Saweetie. Restaurant Brands has followed suit with some celebrity efforts of its own. In September, Burger King launched “Keep it Real” meals featuring foods selected by Nelly, Lil Huddy and Anitta, and using their lesser-known real names, not their stage names, as a way to promote the chain’s removal of artificial ingredients. And this week, Popeyes introduced ”Hottie Sauce” promoted by Megan Thee Stallion. Marques, who quotes the saying "Believe in magic. Understand physics" on his Twitter page, joined RBI in November 2019, according to his LinkedIn after holding various marketing roles at Danone over nearly 12 years. Register for Ad Age Next: CMO at AdAge.com/NextCMO.

Paloma Azulay, chief brand officer of Burger King parent Restaurant Brands, exits company

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