MARIA HOLLANDSWORTH
COO/PRESIDENT
EL POLLO LOCO
WHY: COO and president at OC’s fifth largest restaurant chain El Pollo Loco; took over as interim CEO only after a year at the chain.
IN THE NEWS: El Pollo Loco opened 500th store in 2025. When former Taco Bell exec Liz Williams was appointed as the Costa Mesa-based chain’s new CEO in March 2024, Hollandsworth kept her title as president.
NOTABLE: 2024 recipient of the Business Journal’s Women in Business Awards.
QUOTABLE: “Anything where I’m challenged or learning something, I’m there.”
