The Culinary Institute of America has elected Anne Fink as its 24th board chair, tapping the President of Global Foodservice at PepsiCo to lead governance of the Hyde Park, N.Y.-based institution as it enters its ninth decade. Fink, who has served on the CIA's board of trustees since 2019, succeeds Marc Sarrazin, president and CEO of DeBragga—New York's Butcher, who held the chair since 2024.
Fink's Industry Footprint
Fink's career spans general management, marketing, and operations across several decades in the food and beverage sector. Her current role at PepsiCo—a Fortune 50 company—puts her at the center of large-scale foodservice supply and distribution, a vantage point directly relevant to the operators, chefs, and back-of-house leaders the CIA trains. CIA President Michiel Bakker credited her commitment to mentoring and talent development 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 the role as a moment of significant opportunity. "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.
Two New Trustees
Alongside the chair transition, CIA added two trustees whose expertise spans the restaurant advisory and food-innovation segments that increasingly intersect with commercial kitchen equipment procurement and design.
Cindy McLoughlin joins as managing partner of the Consumer, Hospitality, and Manufacturing Practice at CohnReznick, where she advises restaurant and hospitality businesses on growth strategies, capital transactions, and operational performance. With more than 25 years of experience, McLoughlin is a recognized figure in private equity transactions for consumer and restaurant brands—a lens that encompasses the large-scale kitchen buildouts and equipment fleet decisions that accompany chain expansion and acquisition activity.
Ahmad Popal brings a complementary perspective as senior vice president of Food Innovation and Customer Experience at Ventura Foods, where he leads marketing, product development, culinary, and customer service functions serving restaurant and retail clients. His background in digital transformation and commercial strategy reflects the growing convergence of culinary R&D and foodservice automation and back-of-house operations.
What It Means for the Industry
The CIA's board now comprises 23 leaders drawn from foodservice, beverage, hospitality, and business—each serving without compensation as trustees of the not-for-profit college. For equipment dealers, consultants, and operator specifiers, CIA's leadership appointments matter because the institution's nearly 60,000-strong alumni network shapes culinary and kitchen-management culture across the industry. The priorities set at the board level—workforce development, curriculum around emerging kitchen technologies, sustainability—filter through to the chefs and foodservice directors who ultimately drive equipment purchasing decisions. With Fink's deep roots in large-scale foodservice distribution and the new trustees' focus on restaurant operations and food innovation, the board's composition signals continued alignment between culinary education and the evolving demands of the commercial kitchen.
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.
