Dive Brief:
- TravelCenters of America’s CEO Debi Boffa has resigned from the travel center chain and its parent company BP, a spokesperson for the oil giant confirmed to C-Store Dive.
- Boffa leaves BP after nearly 30 years with the company, having decided to repatriate to her home country of New Zealand, the spokesperson said. Boffa became CEO of TA shortly after BP acquired the truckstop chain in late 2023, succeeding former leader Jon Pertchik.
- Greg Franks, BP’s senior vice president of mobility and convenience for the Americas, will replace Boffa in the interim while retaining his current position and responsibilities, according to the spokesperson.
Dive Insight:
Boffa’s resignation comes during a fraught time for BP, which is in the process of cutting 15% of its corporate workforce by the end of 2025. The downsizing is part of the company’s ongoing strategy reset, which launched earlier this year to improve performance.
As of August, about 60% of BP’s thousands of layoffs this year had come from within its customers and products segment, which includes BP’s global convenience store business. BP’s spokesperson confirmed to C-Store Dive in June that these changes have hit TA’s marketing department.
It’s unclear if this cost-cutting initiative factored into Boffa’s departure from the travel center chain, which has roughly 300 locations across 44 states between its TA, Petro Stopping Centers and TA Express brands. TA also operates hundreds of full-service and quick-service restaurants and several proprietary restaurant brands, including Iron Skillet and Country Pride.
Prior to being named CEO, Boffa was president of BP’s retail operating organization in the U.S., spearheading the company’s hundreds of company-owned and more than 1,000 franchised locations under the TA, Thorntons and Ampm banners.
“We celebrate Debi's many accomplishments, particularly the last five years as she's led our U.S. retail businesses including ampm, Thorntons, and most recently TravelCenters of America,” BP’s spokesperson said in a statement to C-Store Dive.
Franks joined BP in his current role in early 2021 after spending more than a decade at 7-Eleven, where he held numerous positions such as SVP and chief franchise officer, SVP of U.S. operations and VP of acquisitions, according to his LinkedIn bio. Franks was named president of TA in late 2023, when BP acquired the travel center chain. It’s unclear if he retains that position.
Before 7-Eleven, Franks held various positions over the course of nearly 20 years at Walmart, including regional general manager, vice president and corporate officer; and developmental regional general manager.
BP’s spokesperson did not outline plans for naming a permanent CEO at TA.
