Kat Cole

Kat Cole, President and COO of Athletic Greens (2023)

Katrina "Kat" Cole (born March 18, 1978) is an American businesswoman. She is the Chief Operating Officer, President and Board Member of Athletic Greens and the former Chief Operating Officer and President of North America for Focus Brands. She is a former President of Focus Brands' subsidiary Cinnabon, an American chain of retail bakeries specializing in cinnamon buns. Prior to that, she was an Executive Vice President of Hooters.

Quotes

• "For me this is a season of board and advisory work, and really taking my time to think about what is the next big thing,"
• Unlike some that have a lot of drama behind them, this was very natural, And this points to how much I trust" executives there. "I'm a shareholder in Focus Brands. I give a shit. I'm so proud of the team. Every one of those key leaders in those categories, I either hired or promoted myself."
• For me this is a season of board and advisory work, and really taking my time to think about what is the next big thing. Will I run another large company? Will I found a small investment fund? I'm going to continue to lean into public speaking, and will work on a book," said Cole, who is 42, adding, "I want to enjoy this chapter. I have two babies, a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old."
  • What's Next for Kat Cole After Focus Brands, Cinnabon Tenure Franchisetimes (December 10, 2020)
• Spending the last decade working with iconic brands and exceptional teams and franchisees, while learning from dynamic CEOs, as well as the company’s owners, has been a great privilege,”
• With the growth we have experienced and the incredible leaders we have put in place, there is no better time to make the transition to my next chapter. I couldn’t be more excited about the direction of Focus Brands or prouder of the great teams that will carry on and pursue our vision of continued expansion.”
  • President of Cinnabon’s parent to leave at year’s end Baking Business (12 October 2020)
• "I have never, ever heard an American say that in my 40 years of doing business with Americans."
• All of a sudden, it was like I was family."
• "That's always been my thing: I can see the possible in people and situations where other people can't. And because I can see it, I can help other people see it,"
• "When I see people, everyone, every human, I understand that I am in the presence of greatness. Maybe potential greatness, or greatness unpolished, or greatness unfound, but every person has the ability."
• Never say no to an opportunity.
• "The answer is yes, I can go." She says the managerial team who hired her never knew about her little day trip. "They never knew I had flown to Miami. They never knew I didn't have a passport," she says. "A couple of days later, I flew to Australia."
• As a leader, listen really closely to your employees
• "What took you so long? It's about time." When you are the leader, you sometimes are the only one with the authority to make a tough call,
• But you want to avoid being in the position of having all of your employees thinking, "What took you so long?" When you make a tough call as a leader, "there are usually lots of people around you who have known that is the right thing to do for a long time,"
• "The key, in business and in leadership, is staying really close to the other people who kind of know what is going on so that it doesn't take you too long for you to figure that out."
• Gratitude is good, but in moderation,
• But if you get too thankful for what you already have, it can hold you back from dreaming bigger
• Be thankful for things not being worse, but never be afraid to work to make them better
• Donate your time. It will come back threefold,
• "The reason all these CEOs were willing to write recommendations for me is because I had given of myself for a decade. I had volunteered,"
• Find a way to see every challenge as a chance to learn,
• I would go to class one day and I would learn about transactions and I would go to work on Monday and be in the middle of the transaction, and I would think, "Thank God I went to class,'"
• Don't remind your colleagues that you are young,
• If you are leading and managing people who are at least a decade older than you are, you need to dress professionally, speak professionally and don't get drunk at corporate functions
• "I would always dress on the more professional end of the attire spectrum. I would wear dresses and blazers all the time when everyone else was in t-shirts and polos,"
• "It would help the fact that I was a young, former Hooters Girl, not be front of mind. It was always "back there' in their minds, but if I didn't do things to remind them of that, it helped."
• Think bigger. Always think bigger than you even think you should.
• "Even those people who have the good ideas, they hold back sometimes,"
• When mentoring young entrepreneurs that Cole says become intimidated by risks, That puts your mind in a place where I think you act differently."
• When I see people, everyone, every human, I understand that I am in the presence of greatness. Maybe potential greatness, or greatness unpolished, or greatness unfound, but every person has the ability."
  • How Kat Cole Went from Hooters Girl to President of Cinnabon by Age 32 Entrepreneur (August 19, 2013)