Wendy’s Names Carlos Custodio VP, International Marketing

Wendy’s is growing its marketing team. 

The fast-food chain has announced the appointment of Carlos Custodio as its Vice President of International Marketing – where he will lead the brand’s international marketing strategy and execution. 

This, Wendy’s says, will help “bring the Wendy’s brand to life” across its regions while building customer connections and supporting continued growth around the world. 

The brand currently operates in more than 30 countries and US territories globally, with more than 7,000 restaurant locations in total. 

Commenting on his appointment on LinkedIn, Carlos shared that he was “excited” to be joining Wendy’s to “help drive the organisation’s international growth,” adding that he was “incredibly grateful” for the opportunity. 

International QSR experience

Carlos is bringing more than a decade of international QSR experience to his role at Wendy’s – having held leadership roles across marketing, marketing development and new market openings in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. 

He previously spent more than nine years at Papa Johns, first joining the company in November 2015 as a Senior Marketing Director, LATAM, before progressing to a role as Vice President of New Market Openings, where he led a cross-functional team supporting the brand’s entry into new countries. 

According to Wendy’s, his expertise in areas such as brand building and customer engagement perfectly position him to help strengthen the way Wendy’s is showing up globally, while also ensuring the brand remains locally relevant in the markets and communities it already serves. 

Before joining Wendy’s, Carlos spent just under a year and a half at the United States Tennis Association as Director of Membership. In this role, he led the design and execution of a more modern, value-driven membership ecosystem nationwide. 

“I hope I have been able to deliver on the responsibilities entrusted to me and to personify the values and principles of the USTA,” he says. “Every day that I have been here, I gave it my all to help transform our Membership product into a true contributor toward our goal of reaching 35 million tennis players in America.”

‘Dave’s Way’

Carlos joins Wendy’s following the announcement of ‘Dave’s Way’ – a multi-year strategy designed to improve customer traffic, strengthen restaurant economics and return the company to sustainable growth. 

Named after founder Dave Thomas, the turnaround focuses on high-quality menu items, operational excellence, a “winning” digital experience, restaurants as the engine for growth and distinct branding and marketing to drive demand. 

“Dave’s Way is our business strategy to grow customer traffic and market share while strengthening restaurant profitability,” explains Robert Wright, President and CEO of Wendy’s. 

“We have moved quickly to align the Wendy’s system to support the strategy, organise our leadership and teams around our priorities and put resources behind execution. 

“There are early signs of progress, and the direction reinforces our conviction in the actions we are taking.”

Wendy’s key partners:

• Uber Eats: Wendy's partners with Uber Eats to offer delivery through the app, expanding accessibility beyond in-store and drive-thru orders. This is one of several third-party delivery partnerships (alongside DoorDash and others) that Wendy's uses to reach customers who want food brought to them, boosting order volume and convenience without requiring Wendy's to build its own delivery fleet. 
• Netflix: Wendy's partnered with Netflix to promote Season 2 of "Wednesday," launching a limited-time "Meal of Misfortune" featuring nuggets, fries, mystery "Dips of Dread" sauces, and a Raven's Blood Frosty.
• Google Cloud: Wendy's partnered with Google Cloud in 2023 to develop FreshAI, a generative AI and LLM system aimed at transforming the drive-thru ordering experience. 
• VML: The partnership between Wendy’s and VML covers creative, digital transformation and cultural marketing, with the agency helping shape Wendy’s signature internet persona.