As part of its renewed commitment to another 65 years as one of the country’s top quick-service chicken brands, Church’s Chicken announced the recent promotion of Chris Ward to Vice President of Supply Chain. Previously, Ward served as the brand’s Senior Director of Purchasing, in which he played an instrumental role in shaping and executing supply chain strategy. In his new role, Ward will be overseeing Purchasing, Distribution and Logistics as part of a reliable, seamless supply chain system.
“Chris Ward has demonstrated a clear pattern of generating meaningful results,” says Joe Christina, chief executive officer for Church’s Chicken. “From cost savings, to quality assurance, and vendor negotiations, he has repeatedly delivered to the benefit of both the brand and our franchisees.”
Ward has been with the Church’s team since 2012. During that time, he helped to completely revamp the supply team and bring about much-needed improvements in supplier engagement, a more formal RFP (request for proposal) process, and enhanced contract execution and compliance functions. As a direct result of his efforts, Ward has enabled the entire Church’s system to take advantage of millions of dollars’ worth of decreased expenditures, while still maintaining a reliable, consistent supply of goods and resources. He has also worked closely with Research & Development and Quality Assurance teams at Church’s to find additional ways to enhance efficiency and product roll out.
In addition to his five years with Church’s, Ward also brings more than 30 years of career experience in procurement, supply chain management, and senior leadership experience to his new VP role. Brands that have benefitted from Ward’s insightful approach to streamlining costs and ensuring quality and value include Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, Shells Seafood, Denny’s Restaurants and The Walt Disney Co.
“I am looking forward to working with all our Church’s internal and external teams to ensure that materials, information, and finances flow smoothly and that our restaurants and franchisees receive the timely, consistent, cost-effective support they need for successful operation,” Ward says.
