ST. LOUIS — The board of directors of Panera Bread Co. has named Thomas Patrick Kelly interim chief financial officer. Mr. Kelly will report to Bill Moreton, president and co-chief executive officer.

As interim c.f.o., Mr. Kelly will manage the company’s finance and accounting departments. Meanwhile, Mr. Moreton will continue to be the primary contact with the investment community during the search for its new c.f.o.

“We are pleased to announce the addition of Patrick to Panera’s senior management team as interim c.f.o.,” Mr. Moreton said. “As an experienced financial executive with over 10 years of c.f.o. and c.e.o. experience on both a permanent and interim basis in various industries ranging from airlines to manufacturing to technology, Patrick provides Panera with the expertise and experience we are looking for during this transition. The search for our permanent c.f.o. is on-going, and we anticipate that it will take four to six months to find the right permanent replacement.”

Mr. Kelly previously served as interim c.f.o. for Hawker Beechcraft Acquisition Co., Wichita, Kas. He also has held leadership roles with Dell, Trilogy Software, Sabre Holdings and American Airlines.