Heath Nielsen
Heath Nielsen is a fractional Chief Executive Officer who helps hospitality, retail, and consumer brands scale through disciplined operations, franchise growth, and organizational leadership. He partners with founders, executive teams, and investors to strengthen operating performance, develop leadership teams, and build the infrastructure required for long-term growth.
With more than 25 years of executive leadership experience, Heath has built and scaled businesses across some of the world’s most recognized brands, including Starbucks, Nestlé, Sony, Gap Inc., Vail Resorts, and HTeaO, spanning enterprise organizations, private equity-backed companies, and founder-led brands.
Most recently, Heath served as President of HTeaO, where he helped transform the company into one of the fastest-growing beverage franchise systems in the country. During his tenure, the brand expanded its franchise footprint, strengthened digital and loyalty capabilities, enhanced operational infrastructure, introduced new beverage platforms, and improved franchisee economics to support sustainable growth.
Earlier in his career, Heath held senior leadership roles with Starbucks and Nestlé, leading large-scale operations and commercial strategy across North America, including licensed store development and more than 25,000 foodservice and office coffee accounts. His leadership experience spans operations, franchising, marketing, digital transformation, supply chain, real estate, and organizational development, giving him a uniquely broad perspective on building scalable businesses.
Today, Heath serves as a fractional executive and board advisor, helping organizations align strategy, culture, and execution during periods of growth and transformation. He also serves as an Independent Board Member for Free Rein Coffee Company, advising on commercialization, operations, and long-term growth strategy.
A former Airborne Infantry Sergeant in the 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army, Heath is known for his people-first leadership style, disciplined execution, and ability to build organizations that scale without losing their culture.