Dunkin’ Donuts has appointed two senior-level strategic hires to support the brand’s ongoing focus on leadership marketing and operational excellence.

Dan Saia has joined the company as vice president of consumer engagement, and Weldon Spangler has signed on as regional vice president, Midwest.

Saia has more than 20 years of experience in strategic marketing for some of the world’s most prominent foodservice brands, including 11 years at YUM! Brands. Saia will be responsible for the creation, development and execution of Dunkin’ Donuts’ advertising, media and interactive strategies and plans, working closely with Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees to develop innovative advertising campaigns and consumer messaging to support sales growth and enhance brand equity. He will report to John Costello, chief global customer & marketing officer.

Most recently, Saia served as vice president, marketing and communications at YUM! Brands, where he was responsible for 52 business units globally.

‘Dan has a long history of developing creative marketing strategies and programs that have delivered results for some of the most respected companies in our industry,’ says Costello.

Spangler, whose background includes both Starbucks and Taco Bell, will be responsible for translating the company’s business strategy into day-to-day execution at Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the Midwest region. He will report to Paul Twohig, brand operating officer.

Most recently, Spangler served as a division vice president for Knowledge Learning Corporation. In this capacity, he was responsible for the general management of KinderCare Learning Centers in nine regions, which included serving more than 100,000 children and 28,000 employees.
‘Weldon has extensive operations leadership experience and has delivered strong results in very competitive retail environments,” says Twohig. “As part of the Dunkin’ Donuts operations leadership team, he will be extremely instrumental in helping us deliver on our goals for operational excellence, outstanding guest service and franchisee profitability.’