The Culinary Institute of America has elected Anne Fink, President of Global Foodservice at PepsiCo, as its 24th board chair — bringing a sitting Fortune 50 foodservice executive into the top governance role at the country's most prominent culinary college. Fink, a CIA trustee since 2019, succeeds Marc Sarrazin, president and CEO of DeBragga, who had chaired the board since 2024.
Leadership Profile
Fink's career spans general management, marketing, and operations across several decades in the food and beverage industry. Her current role at PepsiCo puts her at the intersection of large-scale supply chain, operator partnerships, and away-from-home channel strategy — experience that directly maps to the workforce and curriculum challenges facing culinary education as the foodservice segment continues to evolve. CIA President Michiel Bakker described her as deeply committed to the institution's mission of developing the next generation of industry leaders.
"The Culinary Institute of America has historically played an important role in shaping the people and ideas that move our industry forward," Fink said. "I am honored to serve as board chair at such an exciting moment and look forward to partnering with Michiel, my fellow trustees and the entire CIA community to help shape what comes next."
Two New Trustees
Alongside Fink's elevation, the CIA added two new trustees, expanding the board's bench in restaurant finance and food innovation. Cindy McLoughlin, managing partner of the Consumer, Hospitality, and Manufacturing Practice at CohnReznick, brings more than 25 years of experience advising restaurant and hospitality brands on growth strategies, capital transactions, and operational performance — including private equity deal work relevant to the ongoing consolidation reshaping the franchise and multi-unit sector. Ahmad Popal, senior vice president of Food Innovation and Customer Experience at Ventura Foods, leads marketing, product development, and culinary functions serving restaurant and retail clients. His background in digital transformation and commercial strategy adds a supply-side perspective as operators increasingly demand customized ingredient and menu solutions from their partners.
With the additions, CIA's board stands at 23 trustees drawn from across foodservice, beverage, hospitality, and business — all serving without compensation at the not-for-profit institution.
Why It Matters
The board composition shift signals where CIA sees its institutional priorities heading. Placing a sitting global foodservice president in the chair role strengthens ties to the away-from-home channel at a moment when operator demand for culinary talent remains acute. The National Restaurant Association has repeatedly flagged workforce development as a top-tier challenge for chain and independent operators alike, making the CIA's pipeline of roughly 60,000 alumni a strategic asset for the broader industry. For foodservice suppliers and multi-unit operators, an engaged board that includes voices from both the advisory and innovation sides of the supply chain could translate into curriculum and research programming more tightly aligned with what operators actually need on the floor.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
