Monica Sauls joins Bojangles as Chief People Officer

Bojangles has announced that leading human resources and change management strategist Monica Sauls will join the company as Chief People Officer. In this newly defined position that goes beyond the traditional human resources role, Sauls will drive the company’s culture, developing current team members, and attracting new talent to support the company’s growth.

Reporting directly to Bojangles CEO Jose Armario, Sauls will lead to talent acquisition, talent development, employee relations, diversity and inclusion, and cultural stewardship. She is the first African American to serve on Bojangles’ senior leadership team in the company’s 43-year history.

“At Bojangles, our strength is our people, so we’re delighted to have Monica’s experience and expertise on our leadership team to help nurture our most important asset,” said Armario. “This is a critical new role as the Bojangles system looks to hire more than 30,000 new employees due to expected growth and demand over the next 12 months and build on our commitment to diversity and inclusion to create a culture where all employees are respected and valued.” 

Sauls brings two decades of experience leading human resources functions and culture transformations within large, complex global organizations. Most recently, she held human resources roles where she led a team of field HR business partners for Duke Energy’s Fossil Hydro and Nuclear divisions. Prior to Duke Energy, Sauls was responsible for senior executive and leadership development strategies at the Boeing Company, where she led best-in-class talent development initiatives from concept to deployment for leaders across the global enterprise.

She also has served in key human resources and talent management leadership roles for Walgreens and Ingersoll Rand. 

“I’m excited to join the Bojangles family and look forward to serving as a key strategic partner to Jose and his leadership team,” Sauls said. “As the Chief People Officer, I will focus on building and maintaining a people-centered culture where everyone at Bojangles can do their best work and help the company succeed.” 

Sauls holds a master’s degree in human resources and industrial relations from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. 

She joins Bojangles following the retirement of Vickie Smith, Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Smith has been with the company for more than 25 years and will remain with the organization for several months in a consultant role assisting with the transition.

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