Domino's Pizza announced that its longtime chief executive officer will step down from the fast-food chain after 22 years in the top job.
Don May will step down from his role on Wednesday and be replaced by Mark Van Dyke as the pizza maker's new global leader, the company announced Tuesday morning.
Meij has worked for the company for almost 40 years, starting out as a delivery driver in Redcliffe, Queensland.
During his reign, Domino's Pizza escalated rapidly.
The company was listed on the stock exchange in 2005, had 387 stores, and annual sales of $300 million ($199 million in US dollars).
In 2024, the company will operate more than 3,700 stores in 12 markets with sales of more than $4 billion ($2.654 billion in U.S. dollars).
After Wednesday, Meji will work with the Domino's Pizza board and Van Dijk for a further 12 months, the company said.
Prior to his role at Domino's Pizza, Mr. Van Dyke served on the board of Compass Group, a London-listed food services company with a market capitalization of $79 billion ($52.416 billion in U.S. dollars).
He led the Asia Pacific division and oversaw 66,000 employees in 11 countries.
Meij worked for the company for almost 40 years, starting out as a delivery driver in Redcliffe, Queensland.
Domino's Pizza chairman Jack Cowin thanked Meige for transforming Domino's Pizza from a Brisbane-based company to a “truly global company”.
“Under his leadership, Domino's Pizza has grown from a Brisbane-based company to a truly global company, with the company becoming a market leader in each market it has operated in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region for more than three years. '' he said.
“Don has done an exceptional job of delivering positive outcomes for all of our stakeholders, including our franchise partners, shareholders and employees. He leaves behind an impressive legacy.”
Mage said it has been an “incredible honor” to lead the company.
“Domino's Pizza really was my life,” he said.
“When I started working as a delivery driver at Redcliffe, I never imagined that I would become the CEO of a truly global company with revenues of over $4 billion ($2.654 billion in USD).
“This decision was not easy, but now is the right time for me to step back and allow new leadership to usher in the next era of growth.”
The company has enjoyed rapid growth over the past two decades, but has struggled this year, with its stock price down 43% since the beginning of the year.
Domino's Pizza announced in its latest trading update that group same-store sales fell 1.2% in the first 17 weeks of its 2025 financial year, compared with a 2.7% increase in the same period last year.
Kawin said the board selected Van Dijk because of his “track record of successfully implementing change.”
“During his time at Compass, Mr. Van Dijk doubled underlying growth and significantly improved profitability,” Kawin said.
“He also restructured and accelerated the growth and profitability of our Japanese business and worked on the strategic restructuring of our Australian business, making Australia one of Compass' most profitable markets in the world.”
Prior to Compass, Mr. van Dijk held leadership positions at American soft drink giant Coca-Cola.
In his new role, Mr. Van Dyck will be paid $1.585 million annually ($1.05 million in U.S. dollars) and will be granted stock in the company.
