---
title: "QSR Magazine: Chipotle Hires First Chief Communications Officer"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/beefa338-3143-456f-8841-72a0333893e5
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-chipotle-hires-first-chief-communications-officer-2703703
category: "Mexican"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Mexican"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2017-08-15T16:11:04.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T03:03:18.704Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/15b54976a1e23bf23e37e7bf4c6b40421585.jpg
---

# QSR Magazine: Chipotle Hires First Chief Communications Officer

**TL;DR:** Chipotle Mexican Grill has hired Laurie Schalow as its first chief communications officer, bringing experience in crisis management and brand reputation to the role. Schalow joins Chipotle from YUM! Brands, where she worked with KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2017-08-15. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-chipotle-hires-first-chief-communications-officer-2703703).*

## Story

Chipotle Mexican Grill has introduced a new position to oversee internal and external communications for the brand. According to a recent QSR Magazine article , the company has hired Laurie Schalow as chief communications officer from YUM! Brands where she helped with public affairs and communications in various roles. With her experience in crisis management, social listening and overseeing the brand reputations of more than 44,000 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants, she is well prepared to help lead Chipotle’s strategic communications efforts.

Founder, chairman and CEO at Chipotle Steve Ells explained, “Laurie is an extremely talented executive, and I am confident that her broad expertise will help to strengthen our communications and better integrate all of our internal and external communications functions to amplify our messages.”

Chipotle has been working to strengthen its leadership for the past year and has hired four new directors to its board as well as its first chief restaurant officer.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- Taco Bell (company)
- KFC (company)
- Pizza Hut (company)
- Yum Brands (company)
- Chipotle Mexican Grill (company)
- brand reputation (topic)
- crisis management (topic)
- chief communications officer (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-chipotle-hires-first-chief-communications-officer-2703703). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/beefa338-3143-456f-8841-72a0333893e5).