The Metro Atlanta Chamber has named its first female president, Hala Moddelmog, a seasoned executive who will replace outgoing President Sam Williams when his 17-year tenure ends Jan. 6.
For the last three years, Ms. Moddelmog was president and CEO of Arby’s Restaurant Group. In the mid-1990s, she also served as president of Church’s Chicken, which at the time was a unit of Atlanta-based AFC Enterprises Inc. The Georgia native spent three years as president and CEO of breast cancer foundation Susan G. Komen for the Cure from 2006-09.
Her diverse leadership experience led the chamber’s executive committee to choose her out of a pool of more than 250 applicants under consideration.
“Hala is an experienced business executive and a proven leader. As a Georgia native, she not only understands the region and the state, but her experience on both national and international stages will serve to continue positioning metro Atlanta in the global arena,” Richard Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines Inc. and chair of the chamber’s board for 2014, said in a statement.
Ms. Moddelmog has a master’s in journalism from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s in business administration from Georgia Southern University.
She said she’s excited to lead the the chamber, building on the foundation laid by her predecessors and the chamber’s partners.
“Atlanta is uniquely positioned for success with its diverse economy, global access, abundant talent and low costs of business and lifestyle,” she said in a news release.
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