Bio

Pete Bassi is a Managing Director/Partner of Verto Partners. He was the Chairman and President of Yum Restaurants International (YRI), overseeing all activities associated with the International Restaurant Division of Yum, including more than 12,000 KFC (leads McDonalds in Korea, China, Thailand, Malaysia), Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants spread over approximately 100 countries. Under Pete’s tenure, Yum opened more than 1,100 new units annually with system sales of approximately $10 billion. Pete held other senior executive positions at YRI, including Executive Vice President and CFO. He was also CFO of Taco Bell, where he personally negotiated several key acquisitions as Pepsico was fostering a restaurant diversification strategy. Under his tenure, Taco Bell emerged from a niche Mexican food player to a powerful chain fueled by leading the industry with value initiatives. Pete also held a number of officer positions at Frito-Lay and Pizza Hut, as well as numerous planning roles at Pepsi-Cola U.S. and Pepsi-Cola International. Pete currently serve on the Board of Directors for BJ’s Restaurants Inc. and Potbelly’s. He was previously on the Board of Directors of The Pep Boys and El Pollo Loco. He received his BS in Mathematics and MBA in Finance from the University of Rhode Island.