French café and bakery concept La Madeleine tapped restaurant industry veteran John Dillon to serve as its president.

John DillonDillon most recently served as founder and principal lead at HMS Growth Partners, an advisory firm supporting “leaders and companies across diverse industries,” including restaurants, hospitality, retail, education and franchising, per a company release. Prior to HMS, he spent more than 16 years at Denny’s, holding a succession of senior leadership roles, including executive vice president chief marketing officer, executive vice president chief brand officer and, ultimately, president of the nearly 1,600-unit chain.

Additionally, Dillon has held senior leadership roles at Yum! Brands, Omnicom Group and the National Basketball Association.