Del Frisco's Restaurant Group, Inc. announced the promotions of April L. Scopa to Chief People Officer and William S. Martens, III to Chief Development Officer, effective immediately. In their new roles, each are responsible for leading their respective departments, Human Resources and Development.
“At Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group we have an exceptional team and I am thrilled to congratulate April and Bill on their well-deserved promotions,” says Norman Abdallah, CEO of Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group. “April and Bill's deep knowledge of our company and brands coupled with their experience and positive contributions over the years make them the ideal candidates to lead our Human Resources and Development. On behalf of the team and board of directors, I look forward to the positive impact April and Bill will make as part of executive management to our team, guests, and shareholders and I look forward to working with them closely as they execute on our strategic plan.”
April Scopa has served as Vice President of People and Education since June 2011 and is responsible for recruiting, human resources, talent development & training strategy. Prior to joining Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group, Ms. Scopa worked with Landmark Leisure Group, a national leader in entertainment development since June 2010. She served as VP of People & Development at Landmark beginning in January 2011, where she led the HR, recruiting, new store opening development, employee relations, talent management and personnel development strategy. Previously, Ms. Scopa spent eight years with The Capital Grille, an upscale steakhouse division of Darden Restaurants, as Director of Operations and Senior Director of Training, where she was responsible for quality of operations, people and P&L results for six locations. Prior to The Capital Grille, Ms. Scopa also worked for C.A. Muer Corporation and LongHorn Steakhouse, both in a training and operations capacity.
William Martens has served as Vice President of Development & Construction since 2011 and is responsible for market planning, site selection, site acquisition and construction for Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group’s three concepts and oversees concept design, portfolio management and facilities operations. Mr. Martens joined Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group in 2008 as Director of Development and was responsible for all facets of new unit development and established the infrastructure to support the Company’s growth in new and existing markets. Prior to joining Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group, Mr. Martens served as Vice President of Portfolio Management at Hudson Americas, LLC, from 2007 to 2008. Previously, Mr. Martens spent nine years with Yum! Brands, where he held multiple leadership roles in Finance and Development, including the position of Senior Manager of Development. In this role, he worked with senior brand leadership teams to develop market plans, define asset strategies and make capital appropriations decisions for approximately 350 new restaurants annually.
