The leadership challenge is not whether to change, but how to innovate without sacrificing the roots of the brand. In my 25 years leading the Sonic Drive-In brand (23 of them as CEO of Sonic Corp.), innovation was an ever-present theme. We successfully completed this initiative in no small part because it was true to our customer and true to our brand. Throughout my years leading Sonic, innovation was woven into not just our business plans, but our structure and culture. Hudson holds a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center and continues to advise brands on customer-centric innovation and long-term value creation.