International Dairy Queen, the parent company of American Dairy Queen Corporation and Dairy Queen Canada, has hired Phil Crawford as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. He will lead IT and retail technology for the firm and its more than 7,800 DQ restaurants worldwide.

“Technology plays an increasingly critical role in empowering our business for our employees, franchisees and fans,” says Troy Bader, President and CEO at International Dairy Queen. “Phil’s proven success as a restaurant business and technology leader positions us for continued growth as we live our mission of creating positive memories for all who touch DQ.”

“The iconic Dairy Queen brand has a powerful legacy I admire, and I respect the team’s recent commitment to technological innovation and digital capabilities,” says Crawford. “I am excited to lead the next chapter of the company’s technology strategy that builds a truly unified, scalable commerce ecosystem. Our goal will be to deepen consumer engagement and deliver exceptional experiences, whether our fans are ordering at drive thru, via delivery, in restaurant or through our digital platforms.”

Crawford previously led the global food, beverage and hospitality verticals at Adyen. He has also held CIO or CTO roles at CKE Restaurants, owners of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s,; Godiva Chocolatier; Shake Shack; and Yard House Restaurants. He will office from the IDQ global franchisee support centre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He succeeds Kevin Baartman who is retiring later this year.

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Restaurant technology will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.