Irvine poke chain Pokeworks said it promoted Chief Marketing Officer Steve Heeley to CEO, amid big growth plans for the restaurant operator.
Heeley’s appointment, announced Thursday, is effective immediately. He succeeds co-founder Mike Wu in the CEO position at the Hawaiian-inspired raw fish dish chain started in 2015.
Wu is now head of culinary.
The executive came to Pokeworks as CMO in March as part of a number of C-suite appointments at the company that also included Chief Operating Officer Michael Walters and Chief Development Officer Larry Sidoti.
Pokeworks currently counts 60 restaurants with another 75 expected to open by the end of next year.
