CHARLOTTE, NC. – Effective Sept. 15, Monica Sauls, human resource and change management strategist, will begin serving as Bojangles Inc.’s chief people officer. In addition to traditional human resources responsibilities, Sauls will also drive the company’s culture, develop current team members and attract new talent to support company growth.

She will report directly to Bojangles’ chief executive officer, Jose Armario, while leading talent acquisition, talent development, employee relations, diversity and inclusion, and cultural stewardship.

“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,” Armario said. “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’ experience includes two decades of human resources functions and cultural transformations in complex global organizations. In her most recent position, Sauls led a team of field HR business partners for Duke Energy’s Fossil Hydro and Nuclear divisions. Before Duke Energy, Sauls served the Boeing Company as a senior executive and leadership development strategist, where she led best-in-class talent development initiatives from concept to deployment for leaders across the global enterprise. She has also held leadership, talent management and human resources positions 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’ education includes 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.

Sauls will begin her service at Bojangles following the retirement of senior vice president of human resources, Vickie Smith. Smith worked at Bojangles for more than 25 years and will act as a consultant assisting the transition for several months.