Wendy’s 2013 “Pretzel Love Songs” campaign—starring Nick Lachey swooning over its pretzel bacon cheeseburger—drew in millions. Melissa Cash, then a mortgage banking marketing manager, says the videos helped her realize the type of brand-building she longed to do. She joined Wendy’s in 2014 and has risen in its ranks with tenacity and strategic thinking.

With Cash’s long-term vision, Wendy’s 2020 breakfast launch succeeded even when plans such as sampling at March Madness were called off due to the pandemic. “We needed to go all-in,” she says. By the end of the year, 7% of Wendy’s sales came from breakfast.

“I am always keen on really having my team step up in a big way,” says Cash, who calls herself a “servant leader.” With Cash’s leadership, her team helped Wendy’s grow and surpass Burger King to become the No. 2 U.S. burger chain.

See all of Ad Age's 2021 Leading Women U.S. and Europe here.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Build strong relationships early and often. Someone once said hard skills get you in but soft skills get you far. They don’t teach you soft skills. 

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

Joining Wendy’s. I took a leap of faith to get into the QSR game and I’ve loved every minute of it. I have a unique past that has helped to my advantage.

If you weren’t doing your current job what would you be doing and why?

Architecture. It combines strategy, creativity and discipline.

What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks?

I’m an adopted Asian female and I’m the mother of two biracial children. I am a role model—not only a role model to my kids in terms of generating awareness, I think it’s also applicable to my team. I want to encourage my team to be authentic [and] be relatable. Being a role model, given my personal journey, is how I’m looking to encourage more people to bring these situations to life.

Which campaign or other piece of work have you seen in the last year that you wish you had done?

I was really interested in the Anheuser-Busch vaccination push recently. I think that it was a really interesting take on being relevant in the moment and not thinking about driving sales, but really thinking broader and thinking about what is happening in our nation at this time and being part of the conversation.

See all of Ad Age's 2021 Leading Women U.S. and Europe here.