Restaurant holding company names new chief people and culture officer

Jean Boland has been appointed chief people and culture officer at St. Petersburg-based WOWorks, the holding company whose portfolio includes restaurant brands Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh and The Simple Greek, effective April 11.

It’s the second stint at WOWorks for Boland, according to a news release. She served as chief people officer and vice president of human resources at the company from 2019 to 2021, leaving for a role as chief people officer at Atlanta-based OMS360.

"We created our new chief people and culture officer role because culture is such an important part of every great company," WOWorks CEO Kelly Roddy states in the release. "It is so important to have an experienced officer in the company responsible for bringing it to life every single day, and Jean is the best person for the job. She was instrumental in developing the mission, vision and values that would create the foundation for the WOWorks family of brands. She also established the culture committee and helped the organization transition to fully remote work when the pandemic changed the way the world does business."

Boland, the release states, has more than 30 years of experience in human resource and leadership development roles. In addition to WOWorks and OMS360, she worked for 11 years at Focus Brands, the franchisor of Carvel Ice Cream, Cinnabon, Schltozsky's, Moe's, Auntie Anne's and other quick-service brands.

"I'm looking forward to further developing the WOWorks culture and tailoring each department's goals and strategies to unify their engagement," Boland states in the release. "Infusing our values into everything we do and stand for is at the top of my mind. I want to reconnect with our mission and vision and realign our strategic efforts with those values for our restaurant franchise partners, employees and vendors."