Panera Bread Appoints James D. White and Mark Stoever to Board of Directors

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 03, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ: PNRA) announced today that James D. White, former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jamba Juice, Inc. and Mark Stoever, President and Chief Operating Officer of Monster Worldwide, Inc., have been appointed to Panera’s Board of Directors. In connection with the appointments of Messrs. White and Stoever, Panera’s Board was expanded from seven directors to nine directors, seven of whom are independent. Mr. Stoever will serve as a Class I director, whose term is scheduled to expire at Panera’s 2017 annual meeting of stockholders, and Mr. White will serve as a Class II director, whose term is scheduled to expire at Panera’s 2018 annual meeting of stockholders.

“As we announced in 2015, we have been working hard to identify additional qualified, independent directors with proven strategic, operational, restaurant experience, particularly one with extensive senior-level technology experience, to join our Board,” said Ron Shaich, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Panera. “We are extremely pleased to announce the election of James and Mark to Panera’s Board, and we look forward to benefiting from their wealth of relevant experience and expertise in the restaurant and technology and Human Resources areas, respectively, areas that are critical to the continued success of our company. James is a veteran retail and food service executive who, as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, led a transformation and turnaround that positions Jamba Juice as a top wellness brand. Mark is a strategic oriented digital executive experienced in executing business strategies that embrace effective and efficient uses of technology and, throughout his career, has achieved success responding to changing customer needs triggered by rapid technological advancements, particularly in the areas of recruiting and human resource management.”

New Director Biographies

Mr. White served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Jamba, Inc. and Jamba Juice Company from December 2008 until January 2016. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Jamba, Inc. from December 2008 until January 2016, including as Chairman of the Board of Directors from May 2010 until January 2016. Mr. White previously held senior executive roles at Safeway, Gillette and Ralston Purina. He started his career at the Coca-Cola Company. At Safeway, he was a private brands executive and received broad recognition and several awards for innovative branding.

Mr. White serves on the Board of DeVry Education Inc. and is the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Daymon Worldwide, Inc.  He previously served on the Board of Hillshire Brands Company. Mr. White also serves as a board member of the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center, a non-profit organization created to connect, inspire and educate aspiring and current entrepreneurs by conducting original research on entrepreneurs, offering educational and training events and developing and fostering lasting connections. He also serves on the board of Conscious Capitalism, Inc., a nonprofit organization that encourages business strategies that serve investors, associates, customers and communities.

Mark currently serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Monster, a global online employment company. He provides day-to-day leadership and management with responsibility for spearheading the development, communication, implementation and delivery of the recruiting media, technologies, and platforms for connecting jobs and people. Under Mark’s leadership, Monster has transformed its product platform and portfolio with a focus on innovation and the introduction of several award winning new products. 

Prior to joining Monster, Mr. Stoever served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Lycos, Inc., the early dot-com search engine and web portal which became one of the most visited online destinations in the world. Mark led many of the company’s most recognizable and successful first generation consumer digital platforms including, Search, Social Community and Electronic Commerce. Previously, Mark held management positions with ON Technology Corporation, and Microcom, Inc., an early modem technology company. Throughout his 25 year career he has had a strong record combining his business, technical and strategic expertise toward developing innovative products for consumers and large scale enterprise solutions for businesses.

Mr. Stoever serves as a board of director for the Massachusetts High Technology Council and holds a Masters in Business Administration from Boston University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Boston's Wentworth Institute of Technology.

About Panera Bread

Thirty years ago, at a time when quick service meant low quality, Panera set out to challenge this expectation. We believed that food that was good and that you could feel good about, served in a warm and welcoming environment by people who cared, could bring out the best in all of us. To us, that is food as it should be and that is why we exist.

So we began with a simple commitment: to bake fresh bread from fresh dough in every bakery-cafe, every day. No short cuts, just bakers with simple ingredients and hot ovens. Each night, any unsold bread and baked goods were shared with neighbors in need.

These traditions carry on today, as we have continued to find ways to be an ally to our guests. That means crafting a menu of soups, salads and sandwiches that we are proud to feed our families. Like poultry and pork raised without antibiotics on our salads and sandwiches. A commitment to transparency and options that empower our guests to eat the way they want. Seasonal flavors and whole grains. And a commitment to removing artificial additives (flavors, colors, sweeteners and preservatives) from the food in our bakery-cafes. Why? Because we think that simpler is better and we believe in serving food as it should be. Because when you don’t have to compromise to eat well, all that is left is the joy of eating.

We’re also focused on improving quality and convenience. With investments in technology and operations, we now offer new ways to enjoy your Panera favorites – like mobile ordering and Rapid PickUp for to-go orders – all designed to make things easier for our guests. As of September 2015, there are 1,946 bakery-cafes in 46 states and in Ontario, Canada operating under the Panera Bread®, Saint Louis Bread Co. ® or Paradise Bakery & Cafe® names. For more information, visit panerabread.com or find us on Twitter (@panerabread), Facebook (facebook.com/panerabread) or Instagram (@panerabread).

Media Contact: Steve West
[email protected]

Source: Panera Bread Company

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