QSR Media UK Dynamic Yield Conference & Awards 2024

He is the UK Shops & Franchise Director at Pret A Manger. In his role, he is responsible for overseeing all of Pret’s operations in the UK and Ireland including Shops and Franchises, helping to deliver the business’s ambitious growth plans. He has been at Pret for seven years and has held various roles including Interim UK and Ireland Managing Director, Head of Commercial, UK Food & Coffee Director and UK Trading Director. He is passionate about foodservice and retail, boasting a wealth of experience with other major brands including Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury's and Gu.

He is an Associate Director in the UK Foodservice team at Circana, a leading global market research company. He has over 10 years’ experience working with operators and manufacturers in QSR, hospitality and FMCG in market research and consulting roles.

15+ years marketing leadership experience in the leisure and luxury industries including Harry Potter, Aston Martin and Sky.

He has built some of the largest British brands, transforming teams, businesses and products digitally around the world. He was named the 21st most influential person in UK Social Media in 2015 and was awarded the Marketing Excellence Award by CIM in 2010

She specialises in research and analysis in the eating out and food-to-go channels at IGD. Her expertise covers macro trends and shopper and consumer research. Recently, she has been at the forefront of research initiatives such as delving into what drives occasions taking place in and out of home.

She is a Partner at Simon-Kucher in London and leads the UK Restaurant practice. She has over 12 years’ experience supporting companies to develop and implement sustainable growth strategies. To achieve this her projects combine strategy, analytics and primary customer research to create pragmatic and actionable solutions, working from the initial inception through to implementation.

He is the General Manager Taco Bell UK and Europe, part of YUM! Brands. His team oversees 178 Taco Bell restaurants in 5 countries, an estate that has grown at nearly 30 restaurants a year over the last 3 years. 

His career spans over 25 years in roles at leading retail brands including BHS, Calvin Klein and Habitat followed by 16 years at Starbucks where he held a number of positions across global territories including Vice President Roastery and Reserve EMEA, Vice President Marketing and Category EMEA, Vice President Marketing UK&I and Global Director of Frappuccino. Highlights include the re-vitalisation of the Frappuccino brand during the early days of social media marketing, the EMEA launch of the Starbucks App and loyalty program and that ‘name on cup’ personalisation strategy, culminating with the launch of the first Starbucks in Italy a 25,000 square foot Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan. 

He believes strongly in empowering and growing teams and that its good business to make a positive impact to the physical and social world around us. He is a Trustee at TREALOARS, a past Trustee at The Royal Voluntary Society and Vice President of Vesta Rowing Club. 

He is an accomplished franchise consultant and the founder with David Liveing of Seeds Consulting, a London-based franchise consultancy specialised in the restaurant and experiential leisure industries. Seeds Consulting works with a number of established and fledgling high street brands and it is behind several transformative franchise partnerships both in the UK and EMEA.

He has over 20 years of experience in customer engagement, loyalty, and personalization, working with leading brands across various industries. As the founder and principal consultant of LoyaltyChef, He specializes in optimizing and launching loyalty programs for mid-size restaurant brands, leveraging his extensive expertise and innovative approach.

His mission is to empower his clients to drive customer retention and revenue growth, using data-driven strategies and analytics. He spearheaded successful projects with clients such as Zaxby’s, Dave's Hot Chicken, Big Green Egg, and Dunkin UAE, achieving positive ROI and customer satisfaction. He also led global digital transformations and client success for renowned companies such as McDonald's, Applebee's, Fishbowl, Chase, HSBC and GE, setting new industry benchmarks for customer engagement, loyalty, and personalization.

He joined PizzaExpress as Head of Franchise in January 2023 and is responsible for looking after the brand’s franchisees across 12 international markets, along with leading franchise growth opportunities across the UK and internationally.

With a proven track record in driving organisational effectiveness and profitability, Ben has previously held senior roles across a number of global businesses, including as Global FP&A Manager at Costa Coffee. Prior to this, Ben was the Development Finance Lead at
KFC Ltd.

He is the Chief Development Officer for KFC UK and Ireland, leading the brand's development strategy as KFC continues expanding its restaurant footprint across the market. Under James' leadership, KFC is progressing towards its target of opening 500 restaurants across the UK and Ireland over the next 10 years, accelerating its growth plans and making its much-loved chicken even more accessible to people. He has held several senior positions in finance and operations during his nine year tenure at KFC, and briefly supported KFC Germany as Head of Finance.

He is the Managing Director of Chopstix, the UKs largest Asian-inspired QSR, and has been at the helm of the company since 2018. 

Highly respected within the hospitality sector, He has over 30 years’ experience in a number of key roles within multinational organisations, including Fine Food Capital, where he was Development Director, and Deloitte, where he was Director of M&A specialising in the licensed retail sector. Prior to that, Jon held senior management posts with both Punch Pubs and Whitbread. 

Working closely with Chopstix co-founders, Sam Elia and Menashe Sadik, he has overseen the rapid growth of the group, which comprises Chopstix Noodle Bar, the UK’s largest Asian QSR brand, Yangtze and Chozen, following a recent acquisition. The group’s total number of Asian QSR sites currently sits at over 150. The fast-growing group comprises locations across the UK and Ireland through a mix of equity stores and franchise sites, and has long-term ambitions to reach over 300 sites across Europe by 2027.

She is a CEO and founder of Meaningful Vision, a supplier of a competitor intelligence platform, offering insights into pricing, promotions, locations, and traffic data to the UK foodservice industry. This solution empowers companies to assess their market performance relative to competitors and identify avenues for growth.

She is an executive professional with 25 years of international experience in consultancy, market research, and data analytics for the Retail, Consumer Markets, and Foodservice industries. She has held C-level positions in market research firms, including her role as the Vice President and Head of European Foodservice Practice at The NPD Group. Her passion for data and insights, particularly their practical application, stems from her PhD studies in Knowledge Management.

After getting a taste of an American burger on a visit to the United States, Armin Vahabian set out to bring that flavor across the ocean to his country, the Netherlands. He founded Fat Phill's in Amsterdam in 2019 without any initial investors. Since opening its first location, the American-inspired restaurant chain now operates 17 different locations in the country. Fat Phill's announced a franchise deal to open 100 new sites across the United Kingdom over the next 10 years, an agreement signed with Freshly Baked Limited (which is the franchisee of iconic pretzel chain Auntie Anne's). Vahabian currently employs more than 450 people, is planning on opening his first U.K. location in London in 2024, and has an additional contract in the works to develop five more stores in Germany.
 

Asad started his career in Finance, he left the corporate world in 2012 to follow his passion and founded Snowflake Gelato. He has taken Snowflake national and also international with a flagship site at Qatar’s international airport and a second Middle East airport planned for summer this year. Asad is based in London and enjoys hiking with his family.

He leads Advanced Analytics at KPMG, leveraging AI to optimise decision making for retailers. His areas of focus include location planning, ranging and customer activation. With over 10 years' experience delivering data-driven solutions, he is passionate about helping brands harness cutting-edge technology to enhance customer experience and drive growth. He looks forward to sharing his insights on AI's revolutionary potential in location planning within retail.

Kanchan has garnered 16 years of experience in marketing and technology, with a career that spans from QSR to large retail and advertising consultancies. A staunch advocate for diversity and representation, Kanchan actively contributes to Papa Johns’ DE&I efforts, particularly within the LGBTQ+ and API communities.

At Papa Johns, Kanchan has been pivotal in launching cutting-edge marketing technologies that have significantly enhanced customer engagement and retention. And empowered franchisees with tailored technology to reach their local customers and strengthen customer loyalty.

Kanchan led digital media, film and gaming partnerships at Papa Johns before going to the dark side (technology!).

As a panelist at the QSR conference, Kanchan will share insights and examples of leveraging technology to nurture customer loyalty and technological drivers that are shaping the future of QSR marketing.

A seasoned marketing expert with over a decade of international experience in the hospitality, luxury, F&B, and FMCG industries. Currently serving as the Head of Marketing for Diverse Dining LTD in the UK, overseeing renowned brands such as Shake Shack UK, she has spearheaded comprehensive marketing strategies that have driven brand expansion and fostered cross-functional alignment. Recognised for her role in driving brand growth, Amy boasts a track record of successful brand launches, strategic campaigns, and digital innovations. With a passion for driving growth and innovation, Amy is widely acknowledged as a leading industry expert in marketing and brand management.

He is one of the founders of Chaiiwala, the cult Indian street food and chai tea chain. They opened the first ever Indian drive through in the UK last year and are one of the world’s fastest growing independent chains. They are currently working on plans to expand their footprint to the USA, Canada, and the Middle East.