Darden Restaurants, Inc. announced that Eugene (Gene) I. Lee, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will retire as CEO effective May 29, 2022. Lee, will continue to serve on Darden's Board of Directors as Executive Chairman until the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. At that time, Lee is expected to stand for re-election to the Board and continue to serve as Chairman in a non-executive capacity. The Board has unanimously elected Ricardo (Rick) Cardenas, Darden's current President and Chief Operating Officer, as Chief Executive Officer effective May 30, 2022. Cardenas was named President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2021. Previously, he served as Darden's Chief Financial Officer since March 2016. Prior to that, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. Cardenas began his career with Darden as an hourly team member in 1984, before joining the restaurant support center team in 1992.