Leadership

Michael is the Chief Executive Officer and a Member of the Board of Directors of Kitchen United. Prior to his role as CEO, Michael served as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for the company, where he led capital formation initiatives securing institutional financing partners, Google Ventures, Fidelity Investments, and G Squared, as well as the major strategic partners, RXR Realty, DivcoWest, and Rich’s Food Products.

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Joy Lai oversees Sales, Marketing, Product, and Operations at Kitchen United. She brings two decades of experience driving growth for Enterprises and SMBs, including launching/scaling products, partnerships, and optimizing omni-channel strategies.

Before Kitchen United, Joy has run several digital/eCommerce businesses in various verticals, including Travel & Leisure, Dental, and Florist. She also previously held strategic leadership roles at Internet Brands, The Wonderful Company, and Bain & Company. Joy received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s degree from Stanford University.

Jessi brings vast experience in the restaurant, retail, food and beverage supply chain industries. He is a highly accomplished IT Executive & Technologist with deep expertise in developing and implementing customer facing systems and infrastructure. Prior to Kitchen United, he led the business technology initiatives for Pick Up Stix, Leeann Chin, Mandarin Express, & City Brewing Company.

Atul Sood is the Chief Business Officer for Kitchen United and is responsible for spearheading strategic partnerships along with administrative and financial management. Prior to his role with Kitchen United, Atul was the Director of Business Development for McDonald’s Global Digital organization, where he was responsible for launching and managing McDonald’s food delivery partnerships. Atul began his career in investment banking and has, amongst other roles, founded, grown and sold his own start-up in the sales technology space.

Kwame S. Brathwaite is responsible for strategic partnerships with Real Estate Developers invested in the KU model as well as fostering positive relationships with the local municipalities in our rapidly growing portfolio. Prior to his role with Kitchen United, Kwame was the VP of Real Estate Development for Citibank Realty Services and Regional Portfolio Manager for McDonald’s USA. In both roles, he was tasked with protecting existing assets and growing the value of each company’s west coast portfolios. An executive with 17 years of experience in real estate from his hometown of New York City, Brathwaite has a B.A. from Amherst College and an MBA from Marshall School of Business. He founded and has grown his own company and continues to pursue his passions of fine art and his family business.

With nearly 20 years of experience in human resources, Janey is a skilled and proven HR leader, having worked with various organizations big and small helping to restructure, build and scale their teams. Prior to Kitchen United, Janey held the role of Director, People Partners and Operations at OpenX, and previously held HR positions at tech companies such as Broadcom, Acer/Gateway/eMachines Computers and has also worked in the Entertainment Industry at Miramax Films and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Janey is a graduate of University of California Santa Barbara.

Jen is a highly effective business development leader, with over 15 years in sales leadership and partner development in high-growth organizations. Strategic and innovative, Jen has driven improvements in organizational structuring, sales efficacy, and complex B2B and B2C processes. Prior to Kitchen United, she led sales growth in diverse industries, including technology, manufacturing, and logistics.

Larrah oversees the Operations function for Kitchen United. Larrah comes with over 21 years leading grocery, retail, restaurant and franchise Multi-Unit operations. Prior to Kitchen United, Larrah led strategic operations for brands such as Albertsons, Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and most recently, Pressed Juicery. Also experienced in acquisitions, mergers, and large expansion at scale. Larrah believes the most important element to success is building meaningful relationships.