C-Suite Profiles: Debbie Gonzalez, Alice LeBlanc

Our 4th Annual Women's Issue of Franchise Update magazine featured profiles of 28 "C-Suite Women" who are not presidents, CEOs, or founders. While not necessarily in the spotlight, these women fill critical roles necessary for a franchise system to prosper and grow. Their titles run the C-Suite gamut: chief marketing/brand officers, chief financial/accounting officers, chief development officers, chief legal officers, chief operating officers, chief technology/information officers, chief people/talent/HR officers, a chief communications officer, and a chief quality, supply chain, and commercialization officer. Several hold dual positions, including executive vice president, senior vice president, vice president, co-owner, co-founder, and board member. In short, effective female leaders who help make the franchise world go round. In recognition of their contributions to their systems, their franchisees, and to franchising as a whole, we're presenting their profiles, two per week.

This week: Debbie Gonzalez, Chief Brand Officer at Massage Envy Spa; and Alice LeBlanc, Chief Quality, Supply Chain, and Commercialization Officer at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

Debbie Gonzalez

Title: Chief Brand Officer
Brand: Massage Envy Spa
Years in franchising: 3, this May
Years with current brand: 3, this May
Franchised units: 1,160
Total units: 1,160
Brand revenue: NA

Background: Debbie Gonzalez has been Chief Brand Officer at Massage Envy Spa since May 2014. She is responsible for leading the development and execution of brand strategy in support of the overall business plan and strategic direction of the company. As such, she oversees marketing, brand development, retail, merchandising, and industry relations. She has more than two decades of marketing and retail experience. Before moving into franchising with Massage Envy, she held marketing leadership roles at Kellogg’s, Gerber, Herman Miller, and PetSmart—companies that all share a focus on health and well-being, two personal passions she has been able to extend to her professional passions. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of San Diego and her MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Alice LeBlanc

Title: Chief Quality, Supply Chain, and
Commercialization Officer
Brand: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Years in franchising: 35
Years with current brand: 7
Franchised units: 2,559
Total units: 2,631
Brand revenue: $259 million

Background: Alice LeBlanc assumed her current position in October 2009. Before Popeyes, she worked at Papa John’s International from 2006 to 2009 as Vice President, Global Strategic Supply Chain and Quality Control Center Management. She sits on the Board of Directors for Supply Management Services (Popeyes’ purchasing co-op). From 1996 to 2006 she provided supply chain management support to Yum! Brands restaurants in North America. She is involved with the National Restaurant Association Supply Executive Council, the Women’s Foodservice Forum, the National Minority Business Council, and is a Board Director on the Georgia Council for International Visitors. She holds a B.S. in Food Science from McGill University, is married and has two sons. In her spare time, she enjoys engaging in volunteer work with seniors.