Elizabeth “Liz” Williams has served as our Chief Executive Officer since March 2024. Prior to joining El Pollo Loco, Ms. Williams was the CEO of Outfox Hospitality and Foxtrot, a modern café and convenience store. Ms. Williams also led Hart House, LLC, and served as CEO of Drybar Holdings. Previously, Liz spent over 10 years at Yum! Brands, Inc (NYSE: YUM) in various roles across Yum and Taco Bell, where she was part of the leadership team that drove a significant brand turnaround from 2011-2020. Liz was the President of Taco Bell International, responsible for strategy, growth, and performance across 30 countries. Before this role, Liz was the Global Chief Financial Officer of Taco Bell, leading Finance, Technology, and e-commerce. Prior to Yum, Ms. Williams spent six years at Boston Consulting Group, specializing in the Consumer and Retail practice. Liz began her career at Dell Technologies in various sales, marketing, and finance roles over seven years. Liz holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and an MBA from Northwestern Kellogg School of Management. Liz serves on the board of Stitchfix (NASDAQ: SFIX) and previously served on the board of Viant (NASDAQ: DSP).

Ira Fils has served as our Chief Financial Officer since June 2022. Prior to joining El Pollo Loco, Mr. Fils joined The Habit Restaurants, LLC in August 2008 as Chief Financial Officer and Secretary, where he helped lead the Company’s successful IPO in 2014, and actively participated in the sale of Habit to YUM! Brands in 2020. During his tenure, he was a key member of the Executive Team that grew Habit restaurants from 20 locations to over 300 locations. He also played a key role in transitioning the Company’s business model to be more franchise driven. Prior to his time at Habit, Mr. Fils served as Chief Financial Officer of Mimi’s Café from 2005 to 2008, after joining the company as Vice President of Finance in 2003. From 1998 to 2003, he served in various financial capacities with increasing responsibility which led to him becoming Chief Financial Officer at Rubio’s Restaurants, Inc. He holds an undergraduate degree in economics and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine.

Jill Adams has served as our Chief Marketing Officer since October 2023. Prior to joining El Pollo Loco, Ms. Adams was the Vice President of Marketing at Mister Car Wash, the largest and only public car wash in North America with over 450 locations. While at Mister Car Wash, she led the launch of the company’s first mobile app and e-commerce site, doubling membership in less than 3 years. She also helped drive 10 consecutive quarters of revenue and EBITDA growth. Prior to her time at Mister Car Wash, she served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at QDOBA® Mexican Eats, leading creative, media, loyalty, product development, and CRM. Before joining QDOBA® Mexican Eats, Ms. Adams worked at Jack in the Box, Inc. holding various leadership roles in field marketing, product marketing, menu strategy, integrated marketing, and innovation & growth. She holds an MBA from California State University-Sacramento and a bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing from the University of Kentucky.

Tim Welsh has served as our Chief Development Officer since June 2024. Prior to joining El Pollo Loco, Mr. Welsh was the Senior Vice President of Design and Construction for TriMark's South and West US Regions. TriMark is the industry leader in food service design and commercial kitchen construction. Before his time at TriMark, Tim was the Chief Development Officer of Crunch Fitness and QDOBA® Mexican Eats. His extensive experience also includes leadership roles at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Sweetgreen, and Walgreens. Throughout his career, Mr. Welsh has led growth strategies, franchise sales, prototype development, remodel programs, and facilities maintenance. Mr. Welsh is a registered architect and started his career owning a private practice specializing in multi-unit restaurant development. He holds an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in Architecture from The Ohio State University.

Vadim Parizher has served as our Chief Technology Officer since March 2026.  Prior to joining El Pollo Loco, Vadim was VP of Technology at Taco Bell, where he spent 8 years leading the company’s technology transformation, driving operational and digital marketing technology strategy. He played a key role in defining Taco Bell’s digital architecture and business intelligence strategies.  Previously, Vadim held technology leadership roles at Allergan, Amgen, and McKesson. Vadim holds BS and MS degrees from California State University, Northridge and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Jason Weintraub has served as our Chief Legal Officer since June 2025 and as Chief People Officer since October 2025. Previously, he served as chief legal officer & general counsel of Jacuzzi Group, a global, private equity-owned consumer products manufacturer with over 5,000 employees. Prior to Jacuzzi Group, Jason was Chief Legal Officer of El Pollo Loco, Inc. where he served as Corporate Secretary and managed all public company governance and compliance matters. He also led El Pollo Loco’s Legal, Regulatory and Corporate Compliance, and Risk Management Functions. Previously, Mr. Weintraub acted as Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary for BSH Home Appliances Corporation leading the Legal, Compliance and Risk Management functions. He has also held senior legal department roles at Taco Bell Corp. and Broadcom Corporation. Jason received his Juris Doctor degree from Berkeley Law (University of California) and his undergraduate degree in political science from Stanford University.