Andrew Cathy

Cathy began operating the Tyrone Boulevard Chick-fil-A restaurant in St. Petersburg, Florida.⁠[1]

He joined the company’s Support Center as a franchisee consultant and subsequently led franchisee selection.⁠[1]

Cathy became chief people officer, working on staff and franchisee development.⁠[1][2]

He became executive vice president of operations, overseeing restaurant operations and franchisee development.⁠[3]

The University of Georgia announced a $10 million pledge from Chick-fil-A to expand its Institute for Leadership Advancement’s courses, student programs and professional development activities. Cathy, then executive vice president of operations, emphasized the institute’s role in developing graduates committed to leadership and service.⁠[4]

Cathy succeeded his father Dan Cathy as Chick-fil-A CEO; Dan remained chairman. The appointment had been announced on September 16.⁠[1]

Following appointments announced by Cathy, Susannah Frost became president, focusing on alignment across the core business. Cathy retained responsibility for overall strategy and culture.⁠[5]

At UGA’s Shoukry leadership series, Cathy discussed his teaching and coaching background and the need for leaders to understand what motivates different people. He argued that businesses should preserve core values while continuing to learn and adapt, avoiding complacency arising from past success.⁠[6]

The company announced about $29 million in scholarships for more than 16,000 restaurant employees and a further $325,000 for thirteen community scholars. Cathy visited restaurants to present individual $25,000 awards to selected recipients.⁠[7]

During Hunger Action Month, Cathy described Shared Table’s redistribution of surplus restaurant food through local nonprofit partners, saying it had helped create more than fifty million meals. He connected the program to his grandfather’s emphasis on community care.⁠[8]

Cathy told CNBC that the chain did not plan to replace drive-thru order takers with voice AI, while exploring behind-the-scenes uses.⁠[9]

Cathy earned a bachelor’s degree in business education from the University of Georgia and later completed executive studies at Stanford and Harvard Business School’s Families in Business program. Before joining the family company, he taught business and coached football and track at Landmark Christian High School.⁠[2]

Cathy is the grandson of Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy, the son of chairman Dan Cathy, and the company’s third CEO.⁠[1]

The UGA Foundation’s 2026–2027 roster lists Cathy on its Investment Committee and its Student Scholarships and University Initiatives Committee.⁠[10]

He also uses LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry to describe community partnerships, including a New York presentation of Shared Table supporting The Bowery Mission.⁠[11]

Andrew Cathy: Company appointment and biography: https://www.chick-fil-a.com/press-room/andrew-truett-cathy-third-chief-executive-officer-of-chick-fil-a-inc (opens in a new window); LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewtcathy/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1][3]

Chick-fil-A: Website: https://www.chick-fil-a.com/ (opens in a new window); X: https://x.com/ChickfilA (opens in a new window); YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/@chickfila (opens in a new window); LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chick-fil-a-corporate/ (opens in a new window).⁠[12][13][14][15]