Raj Vennam was named Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in January 2021 after serving as Senior Vice President, Treasurer since July 2020. He leads all financial functions for the company including accounting, corporate finance, corporate reporting, corporate tax and treasury. In addition, Raj maintains oversight of Darden’s information technology, investor relations and business analytics functions.
Raj began his career at Darden in 2003 as a Sr. Business Analyst for Market Development. He went on to work as a Sr. Financial Analyst in Investment Analysis, Olive Garden Marketing Analysis, and Treasury; and eventually as a Manager of Treasury prior to being promoted to Director of Financial Planning & Analysis for LongHorn in 2010. In 2013, Raj joined Red Lobster as a Sr. Director and progressed to Senior Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis and Treasury. He returned to Darden in 2016 as Senior Vice President, Finance & Analytics.
Prior to rejoining Darden, Raj worked at The Fresh Market where he served as Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis and Investor Relations.
Raj earned an MBA from the University of Central Florida. He graduated with a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Old Dominion University.