Anne Fink, President of Global Foodservice at PepsiCo, has been elected the 24th board chair of The Culinary Institute of America, succeeding Marc Sarrazin, president and CEO of DeBragga, who had held the role since 2024. Fink has served on the CIA's board of trustees since 2019, bringing decades of experience across general management, marketing, and operations in the food and beverage industry.
Leadership Signal
The appointment carries clear implications for how the CIA — one of the most influential pipeline institutions in foodservice and hospitality education — will position itself as it scales into its ninth decade. CIA President Michiel Bakker credited Fink's track record of mentoring emerging talent as central to her selection. "Anne has demonstrated a deep commitment to our mission, and to mentoring and developing the next generation of leaders," Bakker said. "Her guidance will be vital in shaping our journey forward."
Fink framed her role in explicitly forward-looking terms. "As the CIA enters its ninth decade, there is tremendous opportunity to build on that legacy and help prepare the next generation of leaders for the future of food, foodservice and hospitality," she said. For operators and foodservice executives who rely on CIA graduates to fill culinary, management, and innovation roles, the elevation of a senior PepsiCo executive to board chair signals continued emphasis on connecting academic training to real-world industry demands.
Two New Trustees
Alongside Fink's election, the CIA welcomed two new trustees to its 23-member board. Cindy McLoughlin, managing partner of the Consumer, Hospitality, and Manufacturing Practice at CohnReznick, brings more than 25 years of experience advising restaurant and hospitality businesses on growth strategies, capital transactions, and operational performance — a background that maps directly onto the financial pressures facing the restaurant and hospitality sector today.
Ahmad Popal, Senior Vice President of Food Innovation and Customer Experience at Ventura Foods, joins with a portfolio spanning marketing, product development, culinary, customer service, and digital transformation. His focus on delivering innovative solutions to restaurant and retail clients adds a supply-chain and product-development dimension to the board's collective expertise.
The expanded board — 23 trustees in total, none of whom are compensated for their service — reflects the CIA's strategy of drawing governance talent directly from the operational, financial, and innovation segments of the food and beverage industry. Founded in 1946, the Hyde Park, N.Y.-based college operates campuses in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore, and counts nearly 60,000 alumni across the global food world. Its programs range from associate and bachelor's degrees in culinary arts and hospitality management to master's degrees in areas including sustainable food systems and wine and beverage management — credentials that feed directly into the talent pipelines operators depend on.
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.
