Former Compass Group Canada executive brings finance leadership and large-scale operational experience to Appetronix, the autonomous restaurant company.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Appetronix, the company behind fully autonomous robotic restaurants-in-a-box that cooks made-to-order meals with zero on-site employees, today announced the appointment of Heather Wilkie as Chief Financial Officer.
Wilkie joins as Appetronix scales beyond its first commercial deployment, a Donatos Pizza unit launched in June 2025 at Columbus International Airport with HMSHost, the world's largest airport concessionaire. Appetronix now operates across multiple cuisine platforms and holds a variety of patents on food-grade robotic systems.
As CFO, Wilkie will develop the financial infrastructure required to scale unit deployment across North America and internationally.
Wilkie's connection to Appetronix predates her joining the team. During her seven years at Compass Group Canada, she developed innovative partnerships with 50+ third-party organizations, including Appetronix.
At Compass, Wilkie advanced through six promotions and role expansions, moving from Vice President Finance into executive leadership in Business Transformation. Wilkie built and led a new team that oversaw 100+ project implementations across 600+ kitchens. Prior to Compass, Wilkie was the finance lead of Deloitte's Canadian Consulting practice and a member of its Canadian Consulting Executive Committee, supporting partners in growing their practices.
"I have watched Appetronix evolve, and what exists today is a different company," said Wilkie. "The leadership team is strong, the strategy around next-generation QSR is clear, and there is real start-up energy behind it. Combining that momentum with a commercialized product already operating in the field made this an opportunity I was excited to take on."
"Heather has done the thing most finance leaders never get to do, which is run the numbers and then go build the operating machinery behind them," said Nipun Sharma, Co-Founder and CEO of Appetronix. "She has scaled complex foodservice operations across hundreds of kitchens, and was among the first to identify the potential of our technology while running the innovation team at Compass. Heather's experience allows us to prepare for our Series A in the coming months, which is exactly what this stage of growth requires."
About Appetronix
Appetronix Inc. (formerly SJW Robotics) is a foodtech company specializing in the development and design of autonomous robotic solutions for commercial restaurant kitchens. With an expert team with extensive experience in restaurant kitchen design, worldwide expansion of restaurant chains, advanced automation, robotics, and data science, Appetronix is at the forefront of innovation in the foodservice industry. Our mission is to revolutionize the way restaurants operate by leveraging cutting-edge technology to deliver custom solutions that are scalable and tailored to meet the requirements of the next generation of quick-service restaurants. Our autonomous robotic solutions holistically automate all back of house functions including portioning, cooking, plating, and even cleaning with a singular goal of providing the best tasting food.
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SOURCE Appetronix Inc
