Benihana Names David Flanery as CFO

Benihana, a large US chain of Japanese restaurants, has hired David Flanery as chief financial officer (CFO). Formerly CFO at Papa John’s International, Flanery will be based in Miami and report directly to Richard Stockinger, chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO). He replaces Gene Baldwin, who has served as interim CFO since January 2010 and who will continue in a transition role for a brief period.

Flanery is a seasoned restaurant executive with 17 years of experience at Papa John’s, a period that saw the company grow from a regional chain of 400 restaurants to a global brand with 3,700 restaurants in all 50 states and 32 countries. From 2004 to 2011, he was CFO, overseeing all finance functions, including SEC reporting, treasury management and investor relations. During that time, he had added responsibility for international operations for approximately three years.

Prior to becoming CFO, Flanery held senior finance positions at Papa John’s with additional responsibility, at various times, for information systems and supply chain. Before joining Papa John’s in 1994, he spent 15 years with Ernst & Young, where he rose from staff accountant to senior manager. Flanery is a certified public accountant (CPA) and holds a BSc degree in Accounting from the University of Kentucky.

Comments are closed.