Noble & Associates has hired Peter Gibbons, formerly in charge of research, development and strategy for Burger King, as senior vice president, director of innovation. Julie Tumy, agency president, made the announcement to more than 300 guests gathered at Noble’s Aqua Party, an event hosted annually in the agency’s Chicago office during the National Restaurant Association Show.

Tumy explained Gibbons will develop product innovation and menu management strategies for Noble’s food-company clients. The position was just recently established.

Before BK, Gibbons was director of sales and marketing for Kerry, Inc., where he managed a strategic business unit responsible for food-ingredient sales to the top 50 restaurant companies worldwide. He also formerly led research and development for Church’s Chicken and was a national sales manager for both NewlyWeds Foods and Atlanta Coffee Roastery. His restaurant operations expertise includes serving as director of operations for J. Bildner & Sons, an in-store restaurant and specialty foods company in Boston, as well as director of restaurant operations for the F.W. Woolworth Company in New York City.

A founding member of the Research Chef’s Association, Gibbons has been a nominee for the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association Gold Plate Award, and he currently serves as an advisor to the Culinary Institute of America’s president on issues of research and development. He is a graduate of the CIA and also holds a degree in psychology from Boston College.