Join us this Friday at the AC Hotel to welcome Dan Gertsacov,  a seasoned leader with 25 years of experience who is currently the President of Big Green Egg, the world’s leading kamado grill and ceramic oven brand. Dan's non-traditional leadership path has seen him through roles at Google, McDonald’s, and multiple venture-backed startups, proving his ability to drive growth through adversity.

Previously, Dan served as a Senior Advisor at McKinsey and Company, focusing on digital transformation and the future of food and restaurants.  In his earlier career, he was responsible for revenue growth as Chief Commercial Officer/Global Chief Marketing Officer of Focus Brands. Focus is the franchisor of seven iconic restaurant brands (Cinnabon, Jamba Juice, Auntie Anne’s, among others), with more than 6,000 restaurants in 50 countries. Previously, Dan was the Chief Marketing and Digital Officer at Arcos Dorados, the largest franchisee in the world of McDonald’s, operating 2,400 restaurants in 20 countries.

Dan spent formative years of his career during the early growth stage of Google, opening and leading new offices in Latin America and also helping to launch Google’s foray into traditional television advertising in the US.

Dan has also been the CEO of the Americas for LenddoEFL, a venture backed Fintech startup, VP of Business Development at leading media conglomerate Univision Networks and the founding Executive Director of an international non-profit organization, Forum EMPRESA. Dan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Goldsmith Scholar. A former Fulbright Fellow in Chile, Dan earned his BA with Honors from the University of Richmond, with a double major in Economics and International Development and a minor in Spanish. Dan’s Honors thesis in Economics examined Adam Smith’s vision of Capitalism within a moral and ethical framework. 

Dan’s passion is the science of food and the art of hospitality. As evidence of his hobby, Dan has attended 41 cooking schools in 24 countries over the past 25 years . He is a Fellow at the Culinary Institute of America and a Sr Advisor to the James Beard Foundation, as well as a Board Member and Advisor of various other non-profit and for-profit companies.

Dan also has a competitive streak: he played semi-professional rugby over a 15-year career in the top leagues in the United States, Brazil and Chile and is now an avid Crossfitter. Dan lives in Atlanta with his wife, two daughters and their dog, Dulcinea.