Panera Bread Appoints Earl Ellis As Chief Financial Officer

Panera Bread has announced the appointment of Earl Ellis as its new Chief Financial Officer. Ellis will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Paul Carbone and will be part of the company's executive leadership team.

Ellis brings extensive experience in financial management, having previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at ABM Industries. During his tenure at ABM, Ellis was responsible for overseeing global finance, accounting, investor relations, and procurement. He played a key role in shaping the company's strategic plan and executed a multi-year transformation, which included modernizing the enterprise resource planning system and supporting growth through mergers and acquisitions and capital markets initiatives.

Before his role at ABM Industries, Ellis held senior finance positions at several major corporations, including Best Buy, Canadian Tire, Campbell Soup Company, Kraft Foods, and Coca-Cola. His experience spans various sectors and includes roles such as CFO of Best Buy Canada and Senior Vice President of Finance in the U.S. Ellis is also a member of the Board of Directors of Xylem Inc. and the Executive Leadership Council. He holds a bachelor's degree in Management Economics from the University of Guelph and is a Chartered Professional Accountant in Canada.

Ellis succeeds Megan Mikolaichik, who has been serving as Interim Chief Financial Officer since January 2025, following Paul Carbone's transition from CFO to CEO.

Panera Bread operates approximately 2,231 cafes across 48 states, Washington D.C., and Ontario, Canada, under the Panera Bread and Saint Louis Bread Co. names. The company is part of Panera Brands, which also includes Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels.