Taco Bell Names New International Division President & New Global Chief Brand Officer

Taco Bell announced two new appointments in the upper ranks of its international executives in February: Julie Masino as President of the International Division, and Nikki Lawson as Global Chief Brand Officer.

Masino, who ran domestic operations at Taco Bell for 2 years, takes over for Liz Williams, who left the company in late 2019. Masino's previous experience includes senior executive positions at Mattel, Sprinkles Cupcakes, and at Starbucks, where her positions included vice president of strategy for the Americas and EMEA, vice president and CMO for Starbucks China, among other international roles. She was named a 2019 NRN Golden Chain recipient.

During her time as domestic president of Taco Bell, Masino introduced a delivery program through Grubhub, rolled out kiosks systemwide, launched a vegetarian menu, and converted a California desert hotel into a Taco Bell resort.

Lawson is former managing director of KFC South Pacific in Sydney, Australia, where she spent 10 years, also serving as chief marketing and development officer. Before that, she spent 7 years in Johannesburg, South Africa, advancing from senior marketing director to marketing director, to CMO for Yum Brands there. She will move into her new position in April.

The two appointments are part of a push to expand the Taco Bell brand globally. "One of our biggest opportunities moving forward is positioning Taco Bell as the powerhouse global brand that it is, pushing us to continue to be a brand beyond QSR," said Mark King, Taco Bell CEO since August 2019.

Globally, Taco Bell and its franchisees operate more than 7,100 restaurants, including more than 600 restaurants across 30 countries outside of the U.S.