Aylwin B. Lewis (born May 28, 1954) is an American businessman and executive who served as a senior executive at Yum! Brands and as the CEO of Sears Holdings (2004–2008) and Potbelly Sandwich Works (2008–2017).

Career

Lewis's first job out of college, where he attended the University of Houston,[1] was as a district manager for Jack in the Box in Texas.[2]

In 1995, Aylwin Lewis became senior vice president of operations development for KFC,[3] a job he left in 1996 for a position as senior vice president of operations at Pizza Hut.[4] In 1997, he was promoted to COO at Pizza Hut;[5] in 2000, he became COO at Yum! Brands. In 2004, he became CEO of Kmart,[6] which shortly thereafter merged with Sears.[7][2] At this time, he became CEO of Sears Holdings.[8]

Lewis resigned from Sears during a 2008 restructuring, prompted by falling sales and share prices,[9] and joined Potbelly Sandwich Works as CEO that June.[10] Between 2008 and 2013, when the company filed to go public, the company grew from 200 to 300 locations.[11] Share prices dropped by nearly two-thirds between the initial public offering, as the company posted weak same-store sales results, and Lewis stepped down and left Potbelly in August 2017.[12]

Lewis has also served on the boards of The Walt Disney Company,[13] Red Robin,[14] Halliburton, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, Rush University Medical Center,[1] and Voya Financial.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Aylwin Lewis (’76, MBA ’90)". Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership, University of Houston. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  2. ^ Clark, Ken (December 2004). "Kmart Orders Out". Chain Store Age. pp. 39–40.
  3. ^ "Business People". The Courier-Journal. 1995-09-01. p. C4. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  4. ^ "Business People". The Courier-Journal. 1996-07-24. p. E3. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  5. ^ Hamstra, Mark (June 23, 1997). "PepsiCo taps new presidents for restaurant chains". Nation's Restaurant News
  6. ^ Guest, Greta (2004-10-19). "Restaurant whiz to lead Kmart". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1A, 7A. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  7. ^ Sorkin, Andrew Ross & Atlas, Riva D. (2004-11-18). "The Architect Behind Kmart's Surprising Takeover of Sears". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  8. ^ Liddle, Alan J. (April 25, 2005). "Blast from the past: Ex-industry players find new jobs, adventures". Nation's Restaurant News. pp. 1, 41–43.
  9. ^ Birchall, Jonathan (January 28, 2008). "Sears looks for new CEO". Financial Times
  10. ^ "Ex-Yum prexy Lewis joins Potbelly Sandwich as CEO". Nation's Restaurant News. June 30, 2008. p. 4.
  11. ^ Brandau, Mark (August 29, 2013). "Potbelly files for $75 million IPO". Nation's Restaurant News
  12. ^ Maze, Jonathan (May 31, 2017). "Aylwin Lewis to step down at Potbelly". Nation's Restaurant News
  13. ^ Holson, Laura M. (January 7, 2004). "Disney Board Adopts Rules That Affect Leadership". The New York Times. p. C3.
  14. ^ Luna, Nancy (October 7, 2019). "Former Jamba Juice CEO to become Red Robin chairman". Nation's Restaurant News
  15. ^ "Aylwin B. Lewis Joins Voya Financial Board of Directors". Voya Financial. Retrieved 2026-03-28.