TAKKT’s Keri Llewellyn on Trust, Leadership and AI

TAKKT Foodservices, which includes the Hubert Co. and Central Restaurant Products, welcomed a new division president earlier this year in Keri Llewellyn. She has extensive experience in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry. Her career includes time spent at Marcone Commercial Kitchen Group, Welbilt and TriMark.

FER checked in with Llewellyn to find out what some of her first priorities are as division president, her advice for up-and-coming professionals in the industry, and where AI fits into the dealer segment.

Q: You have spent 20-plus years in multiple segments of the foodservice equipment and supplies industry. What do you enjoy about it?

A: What I enjoy most about the foodservice equipment and supplies industry is its people and both its consistency and its constant evolution. With more than 20 years in leadership roles across different channels, I’ve had the privilege of building and maintaining lasting relationships and witnessing firsthand how deeply interconnected this industry really is.

Many of my colleagues and I grew up in this industry and recall when we started our careers in sales, eager to become meaningful leaders in the industry and earn our way to leading these businesses. I’ve seen how collaboration and adaptability continue to shape the way we serve our customers. From buying group meetings, to NRA and NAFEM, my colleagues and I discuss how to improve products and services for our shared customers. That sense of partnership is something that has stayed consistent, even as the business itself has changed.

I’m especially thankful to the many manufacturers and dealer principals who have reached out with support in this new role. At the end of the day, it’s the people and that collective drive to improve that make this industry so rewarding to be a part of.

Q: What are some of your first priorities in your new role at TAKKT Foodservices leading Hubert and Central Restaurant?

A: We have two priorities: strengthen the foundation and accelerate our highest-impact initiatives.

First, we are stabilizing the core businesses by getting a clear view of where we’ve seen erosion to the business. From there, the work has been centered on strengthening the core: refining the customer journey across our sites, ensuring the right product assortment, and improving execution in areas like fill rates and on-time delivery.

At the same time, we are focused on building trust with employees and customers by setting a few clear goals, communicating to them relentlessly, holding our leaders accountable to measurable progress and delivering visible results. It’s important that people don’t just hear about change, they see it in the service we deliver every day. Maintaining open communication is a key part of that, so I communicate live to our companies through monthly town hall meetings.

Q: For those coming up in the industry, what would be your advice on how to be a solid leader?

A: Have a strong curiosity to learn and listen, and build relationships across channels and roles so you are well-rounded and gain perspective. Find someone you relate to and ask them to mentor and coach you—set up standing meetings to discuss key topics you want to learn more about and those you may struggle to understand.

It’s also important to be intentional about building a strong network. Your growth will be shaped not just by what you know, but by who is willing to invest in you. I’m thankful for the many professionals who have supported and continue to support my career. I was able to learn early on effective ways to lead and run a business not only by watching others but by allowing some of those to develop my leadership style.

Being a humble and servant leader is not just a statement you read in a book, it can be genuinely implemented across an organization, but it takes work, discipline and  consistency to do so well. Building a high-performance, humble and fast-paced culture is key to transformational change.

Q: In your career, you’ve used AI-driven applications to move businesses forward. What’s your take on AI and how it fits into the dealer side of the industry?

A: AI should remove friction—not relationships.

At Hubert and Central, we are beginning to adopt a culture where AI is used in our business to work smarter. It is something to be embraced, not intimidated by, and it fits the dealer side best when it removes friction so people can focus on selling, serving and solving problems.

I see AI as a practical copilot, not a replacement for the relationships that drive this business. On the dealer side, that means using AI to clean up and connect data so we can forecast better, price smarter and keep the right products in stock for our customers. It can also take the busywork out of quoting, order entry and follow-ups with tools that turn texts and voicemails into structured orders and speed up RFQ responses.

When done well, AI doesn’t make the dealer less human; it actually gives your team more time and better insight to show up as true partners to operators. Our customers want speed and accuracy, and we want to be the easiest company to do business with. Adopting a culture of AI is one step in the right direction by giving our people better insights and more time to act on them. We have plenty to learn but I am thankful to TAKKT Corporate for driving AI adoption across the global organization.

Q: What is one of TAKKT’s challenges in the coming year and how do you plan to overcome it?

A: One of TAKKT’s key challenges in the coming year will be maintaining clear prioritization across our initiatives while continuing to drive meaningful progress.

Like many organizations, we have more opportunities than we have time and resources to execute all at once. To address this, I am focusing on the initiatives that most directly impact customers and drive growth. Being laser-focused on our initiatives, building ownership and acknowledging our success as a team are key elements to successful prioritization and implementation.

At the same time, we are making deliberate investments in our systems and processes to build a stronger foundation for the future, ensuring we deliver results in the near term while positioning the organization for sustained success in 2027 and beyond. It’s about doing fewer things but doing them exceptionally well.

Q: What excites you most about the future?

A: What excites me most about the future is the opportunity to combine the industry’s deep relationship focus with new tools, technology and talent to create even more value for customers and employees.

I’m thankful to continue to be surrounded by leaders in this industry who are passionate about leading change and improving the industry. I recently had the opportunity to attend the NAFEM Executive Summit and spend time with my counterparts discussing how to embrace AI, navigate geopolitical impacts on our business and customers, and how to improve our relationships to best serve the foodservice industry. What excites me most is that we’re not just reacting to change, we’re helping shape what comes next.