Cumberland Farms has hired convenience store and restaurant industry veteran Michael Verdesca as global CIO, the retailer announced in its first-quarter earnings report this week.
Cumberland Farms did not offer specifics of Verdesca’s role, but added that his hiring coincided with the company also naming new VP of Investor Relations Andrew Campion last month. The company declined to share more details of Verdesca’s hiring.
“These appointments build on the strengthened leadership team that Russ Colaco has put in place since his appointment as Group CEO and reflect our continued investment in the organizational platform and governance structures required to support our growth strategy,” the company said in its earnings release.
Verdesca joins Cumberland Farms from another one of the nation’s largest convenience retailers, Murphy USA, where he was CIO for the past five and a half years and oversaw all of the retailer’s technology initiatives, according to his bio with the Arkansas Research Alliance, where he serves as a board member. According to his LinkedIn bio, Verdesca was with Murphy until last month.
Michael Verdesca has held technology-focused leadership positions across convenience retail and restaurants for the past two decades.
Representatives from Murphy USA did not respond by press time when asked to comment on Verdesca’s departure and who his replacement is. However, Rob Chumley, who became senior vice president of innovation earlier this year, has added chief technology officer to his title in recent weeks, according to Murphy’s website.
Prior to joining Murphy USA in September 2020, Verdesca was chief information officer and chief digital officer for restaurant holding company Focus Brands, now known as GoTo Foods, where he oversaw technology, digital marketing, program management and analytics for seven international food service brands, according to his bio with the ARA.
Before Focus Brands, Verdesca was chief information officer for Jack in the Box, where he led technology and strategic alignment for both the Jack in the Box and Qdoba Mexican Grill brands prior to the latter’s sale in 2018.
Cumberland Farms, formerly known as EG Group, continues to build out its executive team as it prioritizes growth in the U.S. The company appointed Colaco as its CEO last April, and has also added several individuals to its board of directors since then, including Chairman Roland Smith and former Stripes CEO Steve DeSutter.
