Celebrating Black History Month - Week 2: Sean T

At Taco Bell, we believe that we all have the opportunity to drive a positive impact – no matter where or who you are. We also believe that we have people within our Taco Bell family who are making Modern History and will one day be part of the stories we tell for many years to come.

Speaking of stories, February is Black History Month. What began as a one-week celebration in 1926, has transformed into a month-long celebration of our history filled with stories about our Black individuals and communities who triumphed despite incredible odds.

To celebrate and honor Black History Month, every Tuesday in the month of February, we will spotlight one of our very own Taco Bell corporate employees who is making Modern History within the company and/or in their communities.

While we’re telling their stories today, throughout the year, we will continue sharing how our Taco Bell employees across all groups make Modern History; the sharing and celebrating doesn’t stop here.

Week 2

Sean Tresvant, Global Chief Brand Officer

Sean is not only well-known in the marketing world, but he is also known for putting people first and being a change agent across several areas.

He recently kicked off his role at Taco Bell, and with his impressive experience, he’s ready to take it to new heights for both the Brand and its people.

As Global Chief Brand Officer, Sean leads a multi-functional marketing team to fuel innovation and further elevate the Taco Bell fan and restaurant team experience. Overseeing digital, brand management, strategy, creative, and much more, Sean is responsible for helping Taco Bell stay and build on being Restlessly Creative.

We’ve asked him a series of questions about Black History Month to find out what it means to him and where he thinks Taco Bell’s legacy will be in the years to come.

“It’s not just a month, it’s something we should celebrate all year. You can’t contain Black History to 28 days, it should be acknowledged 365 days a year. Same goes for all underrepresented groups,” he said.

Throughout Sean’s career, his equity, inclusion and belonging purpose has become increasingly important. Now that he is an executive, he feels that he has a responsibility to create change and make others aware that equity, inclusion, and belonging is critically important and a business imperative.

“I’ve always said, ‘Be, do, say...’ because if what we’re saying is not matching what we’re doing, then we’re not doing it at all.”

When he looks at today’s workforce and thinks about how we, at Taco Bell, should address issues such as recruitment and retention of Black and racially underrepresented women and groups, he believes it all starts with acknowledgement and then having committed action. Whether that’s acknowledgement of a gap or having the conversation around how to find the root cause or any issue, the important part is having a committed action to really address the issue and make changes that are sustainable. That’s what matters.

“One thing I want people to know is that I'm committed. I want our commitment to equity, inclusion and belonging to be as much my legacy as any incredible marketing campaign. I’m committed to being inclusive and actually providing a platform for Black individuals and all underrepresented groups. You have to have both (inclusivity and the platform) to be successful, and that’s what I want to do.”

Check back every Tuesday this month to see who else is Making Modern History.