Domino’s Pizza has announced its long-serving chief executive will retire from the fast-food chain after 22 years in the top job. Don Meij will step down from the role on Wednesday and will be replaced by Mark van Dyck as the pizza maker’s new global leader, the company announced on Tuesday morning. Mr Meij has worked with the company for almost 40 years, starting as a delivery driver in Redcliffe, Queensland.
During his reign, Domino’s escalated rapidly. The company listed on the stock exchange in 2005 with 387 stores and yearly sales of $300m. In 2024, the company operates more than 3700 stores in 12 markets with sales of more than $4b.
After Wednesday, Mr Meji will work with the Domino’s Board and Mr van Dyck for a further 12 months, the company said. Prior to taking on the Domino’s role, Mr van Dyck served on the executive board of Compass Group, a London-listed food service company with a market capitalisation of $79bn. He led the Asia Pacific division, overseeing 66000 employees in 11 countries.
Mr Meij worked with the company for almost 40 years, starting as a delivery driver in Redcliffe, Queensland. Domino’s chairman Jack Cowin, in thanking Mr Meij, said he had transformed Domino’s from a Brisbane-based company to a “truly global business”. Under his leadership Domino’s Pizza grew from a Brisbane-based company to a truly global business, the market leader in each of the markets the company has operated for more than three years in Europe and the A.