Paul J Brown

Paul Brown is cofounder and CEO of Inspire Brands, a multibrand restaurant company and one of the largest operators of restaurants in the U.S. Inspire’s complete portfolio encompasses more than 4,700 restaurants and 150,000 employees in 16 countries. Previously Brown was CEO of Arby’s, leading the company as it grew global system sales by 20 percent and built and remodeled over 1,000 restaurants in what Restaurant Business characterized as “one of the most dramatic restaurant turnarounds in decades.” Education: Georgia Tech, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management (MBA), Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science (MA) Joining the Arby's in May 2013, Brown has led the Brand’s revitalization efforts, at the heart of which include boosting the company’s culture and instilling a sense of “Serve, Refresh and Delight.” Additionally, he has spurred a rebooted service culture, new restaurant designs and formats, new franchise financing options and the launch of the new “Meatcraft™” marketing campaign and “Deli-inspired Delicious” brand positioning. Prior to joining Arby’s, Brown served as President of Brands and Commercial Services for Hilton Worldwide. The global hospitality company is comprised of ten brands including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Embassy Suites Hotels. Brown was the company’s global leader for brand management, product standards, marketing, sales, pricing, e-Commerce, loyalty programs, franchise relations and information technology. Brown also previously served with Expedia, Inc., the world’s leading online travel company, as President of Expedia.com and Expedia’s Partner Services Group. Prior to Expedia, Brown was a partner at McKinsey & Company. Based in London, he was a leader of the firm’s global travel and hospitality practice and served clients across the travel, hospitality and retail sectors. Brown has worked with InterContinental Hotels Group as Senior Vice President of Global Brand Services and was responsible for global sales, reservations, the Priority Club loyalty program, e-Commerce and purchasing. He was also a Manager for The Boston Consulting Group in the firm’s Chicago and Atlanta offices. Brown is an alumnus of The Georgia Institute of Technology where he received his Bachelors of Science degree in management. Later, Brown graduated from Northwestern University with an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a master of engineering management from the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.