William J. Schettini

Schettini, William J.
William J. Schettini, Chief Marketing Officer for the past twelve years until his recent semi-retirement from Subway Restaurants, died suddenly at Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, Connecticut, on October 14, 2012.
As CMO of Subway Restaurants, Bill's many accomplishments to the company included being the driving force behind many of Subway's well-known advertising campaigns including "Jared," "Eat Fresh" and the $5 foot long" promotion. Bill first joined the Subway Restaurant brand as a strategic planning consultant guiding the chain on its global strategic plan in mid-1997 and accepted the role of Chief Marketing Officer in May 2000. Bill was instrumental in helping the chain prepare long-term strategies and creative menu development. Through Bill's innovation and leadership gourmet breads; sauces and toasted sandwiches were introduced to Subway customers. Mr. Schettini was hired as the first CMO in Subway's history.
Under Bill's leadership, Subway experienced unprecedented sales growth in the fast-food industry and he worked very closely with the company's research and development team. A man who was dedicated to Subway's mission of eating healthy, he cared very much about their product and worked diligently to constantly improve and expand Subway's offerings. "He was not a man to toot his own horn," commented his partner, Susan Mleczko. "He rarely took credit for his many accomplishments, always claiming that, 'It was a team effort', which of course it was."
Bill was a member of the Board of Directors for the company and the System Advisory Council and was very dedicated to ensuring the renewal and growth of the Subway brand. He recently "semi-retired" cutting his work days down but marketing and building the Subway brand was always his passion and he could never fully retire from the Subway team. Mr. Schettini exuded personal and social responsibility.
He most recently became committed to helping Subway "go green" and become even more environmentally accountable.
William J Schettini was born on February 27th, 1950 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He attended Xavier Preparatory School in New York City and matriculated at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York where he majored in marketing. He went through the Brand Management System at Proctor and Gamble and was a well-respected member of the consulting group at Clarion Marketing prior to his work at Subway. Bill was a family man, an avid golfer, wine enthusiast, and world traveler.
He is survived by his two children; son Todd Schettini and his wife Katie Poggio Schettini, of Norwalk, Connecticut, daughter Suzanne Schettini of Alexandria, VA, and their mother Susan Molloy Schettini of Trumbull and by his companion of fourteen years, Susan Middeleer Mleczko of Weston, Connecticut and her children; Lily, Anna, and Harry and their beloved three dogs.
A wake will be held at the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull, Connecticut on Thursday, from 3:30 - 6:30 pm with a private memorial service for family at 6:30pm that day at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to either: Echo Hose Ambulance, P.O. Box 213, Shelton, CT 06484 or the Pet Finder Foundation: http://www.petfinderfoundation.com. To light a virtual candle, visit us at www.abriola.com.