Three longtime executives are set to depart Jack in the Box Inc. as the organization’s leadership structure evolves to support a single restaurant brand following the divestiture of Qdoba Mexican Eats to private equity firm Apollo Global Management L.L.C. last year. Phillip Rudolph, executive vice-president, chief legal and risk officer and corporate secretary, will leave the company on Feb. 28, 2020. Mark Blankenship, executive vice-president and chief of staff and strategy, and Paul Melancon, senior vice-president, controller and treasurer, will leave on Jan. 3, 2020. Their responsibilities will be absorbed by others within the organization. “Phil joined Jack in the Box Inc. 12 years ago with an impressive, well-rounded resume earned after years of experience in private practice and corporate law,” said Lenny Comma, chairman and chief executive officer of Jack in the Box Inc. “In addition to his skilled stewardship of the company’s legal and risk functions, Phil’s commitment to ethics and corporate responsibility has strengthened the culture of integrity throughout the organization. On behalf of our board of directors, I cannot thank him enough for his wisdom, sharp wit and guiding conscience. “Mark has been one of my key ‘go-to’ resources for as long as I’ve been with the company, and he’s one of our true culture champions. We’re a better organization as a result of his vision and leadership, and I will miss him tremendously, as will others whose lives he’s touched during his 22 years here. “Paul has been an integral part of our finance organization for more than 14 years and was essential to the successful execution of several of the company’s key initiatives, including, most recently, our sale of Qdoba and our just-concluded securitization transaction. Like Phil and Mark, Paul also serves with me on the board of The Jack in the Box Foundation and has been unwavering in his support of our community partners.” Jack in the Box Inc. operates and franchises more than 2,200 Jack in the Box restaurants in 21 states and Guam. The company owned the Qdoba brand for 14 years, during which time the fast-casual Mexican-style restaurant chain grew to more than 700 locations with system-wide sales of more than $820 million from 85 locations with system-wide sales of $65 million. – Source: Food Business News.