ST. LOUIS — Robert Alexander has joined Panera Bread Co. as senior manager of bakery commercialization. In his new role he will be responsible for ensuring development and implementation of solutions for new and existing bakery products through collaboration with vendor partners, culinary team and senior leaders.

Prior to joining Panera he was a continuous improvement leader at Weston Foods. Earlier he spent eight years at H&F Bread Co. as an executive baker and head baker. He also was a head bread baker at Greenlife Grocery, a head baker at The Model Bakery and a production manager at La Farm Bakery.