---
title: "Sweetgreen names first chief strategy officer"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/6284e7f9-c8c3-44cf-b4b6-f052445c6b56
source: "Nation's Restaurant News"
original_url: https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-executives/sweetgreen-names-first-ever-chief-strategy-officer
author: "Lisa Jennings"
category: "Fast casual"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Fast casual"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2026-05-26T17:01:46.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T13:16:13.952Z
image: https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/bltea7aee2fca050a19/blt472f3333e38e8397/6a15d29e51a3ba917e0df882/SweetGreenWestwoodLJ.jpg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale
---

# Sweetgreen names first chief strategy officer

**TL;DR:** Sweetgreen has named Cindy Olsen as its first chief strategy officer, who previously served as head of investor relations and strategy at Chipotle. Olsen will play a critical role in accelerating the chain's Sweet Growth Transformation Plan.

*By Lisa Jennings, originally published in Nation's Restaurant News on 2026-05-26. [Read the original](https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-executives/sweetgreen-names-first-ever-chief-strategy-officer).*

## Story

Sweetgreen has snagged another former Chipotle executive.

The fast-casual chain on Tuesday named Cindy Olsen to the newly created position of chief strategy officer. Olsen previously served as head of investor relations and strategy at Chipotle.

Jonathan Neman, Sweetgreen’s CEO and co-founder, said Olsen will play a critical role in accelerating the chain’s Sweet Growth Transformation Plan, which he outlined last year to combat declining sales. The strategy has included setting higher operational standards, investments in marketing and menu innovation and a rethinking of the pricing architecture to improve perceptions of value.

“Cindy is know for her ability to drive profitable growth through a disciplined approach to strategic decision making,” said Neman in a statement. “She is the perfect addition to the executive team at this juncture in our transformation, with deep consumer and restaurant industry experience and a track record of bringing rigor to investment decisions.”

In the role, Olsen will oversee corporate strategy and strategic communications, the company said. Her role bridges strategy, finance and operations, with accountability for turning strategic priorities into measurable outcomes and clear communication.

Before working at Chipotle, Olsen was managing director and equity research analyst at Nuveen and at Franklin Templeton.

Other former Chipotle executives that have made the jump to Sweetgreen include Chief Financial Officer Jamie McConnell, Chief Operating Officer Jason Cochran and Head of Culinary Chad Brauze.

## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- fast casual (topic)
- Nation's Restaurant News (publication)
- executive appointment (topic)
- Chipotle (company)
- Sweetgreen (company)
- Lisa Jennings (person)
- Jonathan Neman (person)
- operations (topic)
- strategy (topic)
- Nuveen (investor)

---
Originally reported by Lisa Jennings, Nation's Restaurant News (https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-executives/sweetgreen-names-first-ever-chief-strategy-officer). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/6284e7f9-c8c3-44cf-b4b6-f052445c6b56).