John Dillon

CEO & President at la Madeleine Bakery & Cafe

Speaker

John Dillon is a nationally recognized, award-winning President and CEO, board advisor, and growth catalyst with a track record of delivering enterprise transformation and measurable business performance across restaurants, hospitality, retail, consumer products, education, and sports and entertainment.

He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of la Madeleine Bakery and Cafe, a fast casual brand with nearly 100 cafes across the U.S., where he is leading a disciplined and aggressive modernization focused on guest experience, unit-level economics, operating improvements, and deliberate expansion across domestic and international markets.

John earned his reputation leading complex, multi-unit businesses where results depend on clarity, execution, and alignment across field teams, support centers, owners, and boards. Over a 16-year tenure at Denny’s Corporation, John advanced from Chief Marketing Officer to Chief Brand Officer and ultimately President, playing a key leadership role in revitalizing the 1,600-unit system by aligning brand relevance, field execution, and unit economics to drive sustained growth in revenue and EBITDA.

Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles with the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets, Yum Brands (Pizza Hut), and PepsiCo, experiences that sharpened his expertise in enterprise growth, operating rhythm, and business transformation.

An expert in restaurants and hospitality, John’s work has increasingly expanded into multiple adjacent consumer sectors, including retail, packaged goods, education, and sports and entertainment. This cross-sector experience allows him to apply proven brand and operating principles to new categories while respecting the distinct economics and dynamics of each.

John is also the founder of HMS Growth Partners, an advisory platform partnering with consumer, retail, restaurant, and hospitality businesses and leaders to sharpen strategy, elevate brand relevance, strengthen operating rhythms, and scale for growth. Through HMS, he advises companies, founders, and CEOs across a wide range of stages, from early start-ups and family businesses to private equity–backed platforms and private and public corporations. His work spans strategic positioning, growth planning, go-to-market execution, organizational effectiveness, and value creation.

Beyond his corporate and advisory work, John serves on the Board of Directors for Breakthrough T1D (Texas Chapter), where he chairs the Marketing Committee. He recently completed his tenure as Executive in Residence and advisor for Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, where he also established an endowment supporting the university’s Women in Business initiative. He previously served a decade on Clemson University’s Erwin Center Advisory Board and on the Board of Directors for the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), where he chaired the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing.

A sought-after speaker and advisor, John has been recognized on the Forbes Top 50 CMOs list and by Business Insider as one of the World’s Best CMOs, and has been named to PRWeek’s Power 50, Adweek 50, and Nation’s Restaurant News Power 50, among others. His work is known for connecting purpose, culture, and hospitality with the hard levers of growth, execution, and financial performance.

John and his wife Elisha have been married for 31 years and have three daughters. They reside in Plano, Texas.