About
David Hawthorne is the Chief People Officer for Anchor Point Management Group, LLC, franchisees of Taco Bell, Buffalo Wild Wings, 7 Brew, European Wax Center, and many other brands. David has spent over twenty exciting years with Anchor Point, growing from HR Manager to his current role, which he has held since 2014. As Chief People Officer, David leads human resources, benefits, payroll, and risk management for this restaurant and health/beauty services company exceeding $1B in revenue and employing more than 16,000 team members across more than 500 locations throughout the United States. Prior to Anchor Point, David has more than ten years of HR experience in the restaurant, technology, and insurance industries. In addition to his work in human resources, David is also an avid reader, baseball fan, whiskey aficionado, and motorcyclist (but not all at the same time). He is proud to be the only (as far as he knows) HR executive with an office full of baseball, Harley, whiskey, and martial arts memorabilia, so a visit to his office is much less like a visit to the “principal’s office” that most folks envision when they go to HR.
David Hawthorne
Published content
expert panel
Jun 8, 2026
Leadership style has always influenced workplace culture, but in today’s business environment, toxic or unsustainable leadership behaviors are increasingly being recognized as measurable business risks rather than interpersonal challenges alone. From disengagement and burnout to turnover, innovation loss and declining customer experience, organizations are paying a growing price when unhealthy leadership behaviors go unchecked.Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank say the impact extends far beyond morale. These HR and leadership experts explain that toxic leadership creates operational drag, weakens trust, suppresses discretionary effort and ultimately undermines long-term business performance in ways many organizations underestimate until the damage is already visible.
Company details
Anchor Point Management Group
Company bio
As a diversified national management platform, Anchor Point Management Group will support its businesses across two primary verticals: Restaurants, Food, & Beverage and Beauty, Health, & Wellness. With over 500 operating locations, the companies Anchor Point supports have grown significantly over the past 30+ years. We look to aggressively continue that growth through development, acquisitions, and industry-leading operations both within our current brands and through new opportunities to expand the Anchor Point family of businesses through the addition of large brand and/or large opportunity concepts.