proxxy strategic advisors
John Dillon
Founder & Managing Partner, HMS Growth Partners
John Dillon is a consumer, retail, and franchise-system CEO with nearly 30 years leading brand and growth strategy at organizations including Yum! Brands, the Houston Rockets, Denny’s, and la Madeleine, most recently as CEO and President of la Madeleine Bakery and Café. He is Founder and Managing Principal of HMS Growth Partners, advising consumer and franchise companies on growth strategy and operating discipline.
Credentials & Recognition
Leadership & Awards
- Cannes Lions and Effie Awards
- Nation’s Restaurant News Power 50
- Forbes Top 50 CMOs
- Business Insider World’s Best CMOs
- PRWeek Power 50, Adweek 50
- NBA Innovator Award, Houston Rockets
Board & Advisory
- Private Directors Association
- Breakthrough T1D DFW Board, 2026 Dallas Walk Chair
- Baylor Women in Leadership Advisory Board
- Former Executive in Residence, Baylor Hankamer School of Business
Recognition & Education
- B.B.A., Marketing & Quantitative Business Analysis, Baylor University
- Finance for Senior Executives, Harvard Business School Executive Education
Approach
Start With Positioning, Not Campaigns
At Denny’s, John identified America’s Diner as an organizing idea for the brand rather than a slogan, one that could inform menu strategy, restaurant experience, franchise alignment, and voice all at once.
Win Franchisee Buy-In Before Scaling
A brand story only works if the system believes in it and lives it daily, so he builds franchisee alignment before asking them to fund a shared vision.
Move From Brand to Enterprise
As responsibility grows from a functional seat into full P&L leadership, he shifts from defining the brand to running the enterprise built around it.
Where John Can Help
John is best suited for consumer, retail, and franchise-system businesses at an inflection point, whether that means reversing a decline, professionalizing a growing organization, or preparing for a change in ownership.
He is particularly valuable when a business needs franchisee alignment, brand repositioning, or a leader who has moved successfully from a specialist function into full enterprise responsibility.