Todd Kaufman
Ashburn
Summary
Strategic and results-driven Chief Information Officer (CIO) with over 25 years of experience leading IT transformations, digital innovation, and technology strategy in the hospitality and restaurant industry. Proven track record of implementing enterprise-wide IT solutions, enhancing operational efficiency, optimizing IT budgets, and delivering digital solutions that drive revenue growth. Adept at leading large IT teams, managing multi-million-dollar projects, and navigating complex technology landscapes to ensure security, compliance, and business continuity. Passionate about driving technology innovation to create seamless customer experiences and operational efficiencies. Known for a hands-on leadership approach, empowering teams, and fostering cross-functional collaboration to meet business goals. Focused on leveraging digital transformation strategies to improve data-driven decision-making, enhance cybersecurity frameworks, and develop scalable IT solutions that support enterprise growth.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief Information Officer
SSP America
09.2024 - Current
- Developed and executed a strategic IT roadmap aligning technology investments with long-term business goals
- Led digital transformation initiatives, integrating emerging technologies to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency that increased avg check by 7% to 12%
- Managed IT policies, cybersecurity strategies, and compliance measures to ensure data integrity and security
- Participated in Global Executive Technology Leadership group to determine technical strategies for all regions representing 37 Countries
- Oversaw multi-million-dollar IT budgets, optimizing costs while maintaining innovation and scalability
- Cultivated vendor relationships, negotiating contracts to align with business needs and compliance standards
- Negotiated change in payments vendors that covered acquiring and gateway leading to a $250,000 savings a year and achieved technology enhancements that could bring in over 2m more in revenue once implemented
- Built a team of 42 FTE from 2 to meet the growing needs of the company from 175m in revenue to 1.2t in annual revenue
Vice President
SSP America
03.2008 - 09.2024
- Designed and implemented IT systems for almost 500 units across 59 airports
- Led POS and back-office solutions, enabling real-time data collection and business intelligence insights
- Took over to lead the implementation of a multi-million payroll and HRIS system to handle the needs of over 9000 employees operating in 37 states for a successful payroll migration
- Implemented PCI compliance solutions, reducing annual costs by $110,000
- Developed and rolled out a next-gen inventory system, cutting food costs by an average of 1.3% per site
- Spearheaded an employee meal program, reducing fraud and cutting meal costs by 50%.
IHOP | Manager
POS
01.2005 - 01.2008
- Managed IT support for over 1,000 restaurant locations and led a team of 8 full-time employees
- Implemented a $1M PCI compliance project across IHOP locations
- Led the rollout of a 900-location reporting portal for above-store reporting
- Developed training plans, risk assessments, and ROI strategies for IT projects.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
University of Maryland
01.1996
Skills
- IT Strategy & Digital Transformation
- Enterprise POS & Back-Office Systems
- Cybersecurity & Compliance (PCI, Data Protection)
- IT Budgeting & Cost Optimization
- Vendor & Contract Management
- Business Intelligence and Analytics
- Team Leadership & Talent Development
- Change Management & Technology Adoption
- Multi-Unit, Multi-Location, Multi-Brand IT Deployments
- IT compliance
- Best practices implementation
- Digital transformation
- Information risk management
- IT service management
- Information technology management
- Budget administration
- IT governance
- Technology vision
- System implementation
Affiliations
- Co-Chair, DC Chapter of the IFBTA (International Food and Beverage Technology Association)
- Member, TipHaus Customer Advisory Board (North America)
- Member, Fourth Customer Advisory Board (North America)
Speaking Engagements
- Presenter at FSTEC
- Presenter at Restaurant Leadership Conference
- Presenter at MURTEC
Timeline
Chief Information Officer
SSP America
09.2024 - Current
Vice President
SSP America
03.2008 - 09.2024
IHOP | Manager
POS
01.2005 - 01.2008
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
University of Maryland
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