ATLANTA — Focus Brands, parent company of brands including Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon and Jamba, announced the appointments of Kerri Christian, Jessica Osborne, Tracey Young and Jim Salerno to the company’s special category leadership team, effective immediately.

Christian, Osborne and Salerno were internal promotions.

Young joins Focus Brands as chief brand officer of Cinnabon, where she will oversee marketing and operations. Previously, Young worked as vice president, strategy, retail operations at Panera Bread. Earlier, she worked in leadership roles at Dine Brands and Bloomin’ Brands.

Christian has been promoted to senior vice president of special category marketing. She will work on digital engagement and media strategies across the Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon and Jamba brands. Previously, Christian worked as vice president of marketing and e-commerce for Focus Brands’ global channels licensing division. Earlier, she held marketing leadership roles at The Home Depot, The Wendy’s Company and Proctor & Gamble.

Osborne has been named vice president of marketing for Carvel after working with Focus Brands for more than 12 years in marketing leadership roles across departments. In her new role, she will spearhead consumer marketing for Carvel, oversee menu strategy and lead digital marketing calendar initiatives.

Salerno has been promoted to chief brand officer of Carvel, where he has worked for the past 24 years. Most recently, Salerno was vice president and general manager of the brand.

“As a leader, it is an honor and privilege to see colleagues continue to grow their career within a company while also having the opportunity to recruit top tier talent to further build our business,” said Kristen Hartman, specialty category president. “With strong leadership we are well-positioned to continue to grow our brands and increase customer preference in today’s competitive market.”

Focus Brands, through its affiliate brands, is the franchisor and operator of more than 6,000 restaurants, cafes, ice cream shops and bakeries in the US, Puerto Rico and more than 50 foreign countries.