Vancouver Business Journal Podcast: Papa Murphy's Introducers New Interim CEO Jean Birch

Jean Birch, joined the board of directors at Papa Murphy's in 2015 after developing nearly 30 years of experience at Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Corner Bakery, Macaroni Grill and I-Hop. At the beginning of 2017, Birch was named the interim CEO of the pizza giant.

"Well, it has certainly been a pleasure to work with this team and this company over these last several months," said Birch in an interview with the Vancouver Business Journal. "As Interim CEO you get kind of a unique perspective that is far closer to the business than you would on the board of directors."

Upon accepting the position, Birch had one requirement - the team had to allow her to be hands on.

"My experience has been to really assess the organization, understand what's going well, and there is a tremendous amount of wonderful things going on. But importantly, too, to see where we can change and get better to continue to grow as a company."

With Birch's guidance, Papa Murphy's is working to enhance the relationship with their franchisees through a new PACT initiative, aimed at determining the most meaningful aspects of the brand's core values from the perspective of the franchisor and franchisee in order to create a more cohesive bond.

"I think one of the most important things we can do is to sincerely and honestly listen to our franchise owners with deep respect and deep trust," Birch said to editor-in-chief Nick Shanmac. "We're tied together, this relationship doesn't work if only one half is being successful."