Bjorn Erland has served as Chief People Officer since October 2024. Prior to joining El Pollo Loco, Mr. Erland served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at BrandSafway, where he led HR for three operating divisions globally, overseeing 40,000 employees across 30 countries. Prior to his role at BrandSafway, Mr. Erland worked for Yum! Brands for over 11 years in various leadership roles. As Vice President of People and Experience at Taco Bell, he led HR operations for 900+ company-owned restaurants and 25,000 employees. His earlier roles at Yum! included Senior Director of HR Excellence and Director of Training and Field HR at KFC. He holds an MBA from DePaul University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton.