Internship with the Wendy’s Company

Ganesh Shekar, MBA ’24

After a little more than seven years of work experience in the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry, I was ready to move my career in the direction of business strategy. This led me to join the Broad College’s MBA program. When it came time to select an internship, I felt the Wendy’s Company was the best choice. I was interested in consumer marketing and had not had the opportunity during my time in CPG to explore the wonderful world of brand management. Travis Martin, manager of international brand marketing, and the Wendy’s team gave me that opportunity this past summer, and I was placed with the international brand marketing team as a brand marketing intern.

My experience at Wendy’s can be summed up in two words: culture and attitude. It was fascinating to see that Wendy’s values travel up and down the ladder, from the employees who greeted customers in the restaurants all the way up to the CEO, Broad alumnus Todd Penegor. This culture was immediately apparent when I arrived, from the executive leadership regularly mingling with corporate employees to the main corporate location being named the “Restaurant Support Center,” focusing business strategy on the franchises and the value they bring to the Wendy’s brand.

The internship itself was fulfilling, as I was tasked with bringing a recommendation to the marketing leadership team for a new item that could be released in the international market. I learned how Wendy’s approaches unique business problems, using competitive strategy analysis and consumer research to unearth major clues about what consumers in unfamiliar regions want in a product. I also had the opportunity to work on helping develop and launch marketing materials for the first limited-time offer promotion for 2024. In the end, I was proud of the recommendation I provided to the team, and I hope they are able to use my work in the future.