Lauren Cody

Lauren Cody joined Panera in August 2020 as Chief of Staff to the CEO and Chief Customer Officer, bringing with her over 20 years of experience, primarily in the food service industry. Her extensive expertise in consumer and business insights, successful strategy creation and execution, and general management is invaluable to the team.

Before signing on at Panera, Lauren spent 13 years with McDonald’s in various executive positions, including: Vice President leading Strategy & Insights for the UK, Managing Director responsible for running the Norwegian market, and most recently, Corporate Vice President leading Consumer and Business Insights globally.

Prior to McDonald’s, Lauren worked for eight years at Burger King Corporation with roles spanning multiple countries and disciplines, including finance, strategy, and business development. She also spent time at Phelps Dodge Corporation, working in commercial finance and strategy.

Lauren holds a MBA, Finance from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree in International Studies and Economics from West Virginia University.