Cousins Maine Lobster makes leadership changes

Courtesy / Cousins Maine Lobster From left, the new leaders of Cousin Maine Lobster: Marion Thomas, Shaun Higgins and Lindsay Herberger.

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By Alexis Wells

Cousins Maine Lobster, a rapidly expanding South Portland-based franchise brand established in 2012 by first cousins Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, has made three leadership changes as part of its ongoing operational expansion.

Shaun Higgins has been promoted to president. He most recently held the position of vice president. Higgins joined Cousins Maine Lobster in 2014 as the head of franchise development, charged with establishing the brand's capabilities to launch the franchise business.

During his time with the company, he has taken on increasing responsibilities, driving various aspects of new unit development, franchise development, franchise operations, finance and supply chain. Higgins graduated from Hofstra University with a degree in business management.

"Shaun has been an integral part of our CML family and leadership team from the signing of our very first franchisee,” said Lomac. “He has selflessly led the brand through years of sustained growth and demonstrates the passion and tenacity that will lead us through our continued expansion. We are appreciative of his partnership, and we are so excited for him as he takes on this expanded role."

Marion Thomas has been hired as senior vice president of marketing. Thomas is a seasoned marketing and business executive with over twenty years of experience. She joined the lobster roll company in April.

In her new role, she will spearhead the company's marketing strategy, focusing on enhancing the customer experience and amplifying brand messages to fuel growth. She has held leadership roles at several companies, including Wayfair, ZipCar, Catalant Technologies VistaPrint, and more. She received her degree in international business and marketing from Northeastern University.

Lindsay Herberger has been hired as director of franchise development. In her new role, she will spearhead efforts to launch new franchise recruitment and onboarding programs that will further support the company's expansion plans.

Herberger joins Cousins Maine Lobster with more than eight years of franchising experience with Wendy's Company. She has experience in operations, training, franchising, and development. During her time with Wendy’s, she drove and enabled net new unit growth by recruiting new franchisees in the U.S. and abroad.

Cousins Maine Lobster has more than 65 operational units and has expanded its footprint across 26 states. Over the past fifteen months, the company has opened 22 new units and plans to open more than 20 new units in 2024.