Kim Lopdrup was named Senior Vice President of Business
Development in June 2011. A member of Darden’s Executive Team,
Kim is charged with leading the company’s new business growth and
acquisition efforts driven by competitively superior insights into the
dynamic consumer and competitive environment.
Darden is the world's largest full-service restaurant operating company
with annual sales of $8.0 billion. The company owns and operates more than 2,000 Red
Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52,
Eddie V’s and Yard House restaurants in North America, employs 200,000 people and serves
more than 400 million meals annually. In 2012, Darden was named to the FORTUNE “100 Best
Companies to Work For” list for the second year in a row.
Kim previously served as President of Red Lobster and Senior Vice President of Darden
Restaurants, a position he held since May 2004. Kim led the brand to record profitability while
comprehensively revitalizing the brand and repositioning it for sustainable growth. Kim joined
Red Lobster in November 2003 as Executive Vice President of Marketing.
Prior to joining Red Lobster, Kim served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer, North America, for Burger King Corporation. He led that company’s 8,500 North
American restaurants to record guest satisfaction scores in both company-owned and
franchised restaurants, contributing to a turn-around of declining same-store sales.
Before Burger King, Kim spent 16 years with Allied Domecq Quick Service Restaurants (now
called Dunkin’ Brands), the franchisor of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins. He turned around
Dunkin’ Donuts’ previously-declining coffee business as that brand’s Product Marketing
Manager for Beverages. Later, as Vice President of Marketing, he managed Dunkin’s iconic
“Time to Make the Donuts” ad campaign starring Fred the Baker. And, as Chief Executive
Officer of Allied Domecq’s 3,500-unit international division, he took that business from record
losses to record profits and dramatically accelerated its growth.
Kim began his career in brand management at Procter & Gamble, working on Folgers and High
Point coffees and Citrus Hill orange juice.
Kim is currently on the board of Wawa, Inc., one of the premier operators in the convenience
store industry. He also serves on the board of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida and was
named “Board Member of the Year” in 2011. Kim earned a bachelor’s degree in Business
Administration from the College of William and Mary and an MBA with distinction from Harvard
Business School.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Kim Lopdrup and other top speakers and celebrities.