Church’s Chicken president and chief executive officer Jim Hyatt announced the appointment of Tony Moralejo as its chief development officer responsible for domestic and international expansion for the globally recognized quick-service chicken chain. His responsibilities also include franchising, reimaging, construction, and real estate management. Tony reports directly to Hyatt and is a member of the brand’s executive team.

Moralejo joins Church’s Chicken after more than fifteen years in various high profile senior positions within the Burger King corporation. He provided leadership in development, franchising, real estate, finance, and marketing and was also the brand’s international general counsel. Tony was the vice president of development for the Latin America and Caribbean regions where he cultivated an aggressive pipeline that led the company to an unprecedented growth into new countries. Most recently, Moralejo lead a multifunctional team in negotiating and implementing new joint venture companies and master franchise models in order to accelerate growth and international presence in key countries.

Earlier in Tony’s career he was the senior director of partner and franchised management in the direct to consumer group at Nike Inc. and was a member of the brand’s global leadership retail team. After receiving his law degree, Moralejo established a private practice where he specialized in real estate, commercial development, and real estate financing.

“Tony is a valuable addition to Church’s management team and has a vast amount of experience and an impressive track record in restaurant development and building relationships with franchisees,” Hyatt says. “He will be instrumental in spearheading and accelerating the brand’s growth plans both domestically and internationally.”