QSR Media Middle East Roundtable Luncheon

Somaia is the Research Manager at Euromonitor International with a
focus on FMCG in MEA. Based in Dubai, She has more than ten years of experience in the industry. ​

She manages an international team of seasoned analysts and is responsible for Euromonitor’s engagements with the leading players
across the space of her industries. She has a deep understanding of
corporate activity in the region and the current state of each industry.​

Somaia advises clients across a range of industries on the impact of local and global trends and has a special interest in healthy living, e-commerce, delivery apps, sustainability and inflation in emerging
markets.

Neeraj Teckchandani is the CEO & Director of Apparel Group headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and has been with Apparel Group for 22 years. Neeraj has spent over 26+ years in the UAE and has vast experience within the retail industry across various domains such as strategy, management, operations, mergers, and acquisitions and financial operations to name a few.

Neeraj is an Alumni of Harvard Business School and University of London. He is also the member of the Beta Gama Sigma Society and has been awarded various industry awards like “Best Fashion Lifestyle CFO (UAE) Award at the Global CFO Excellence Awards 2020”. “World’s Greatest CFO Award 2018-2019 by Asia One” and “Most influential CFO in Fashion and Lifestyle Services (UAE)” at the Global Business Insights Awards 2018.

Hesham Almekkawi is a Food and Beverage industry expert with more than 27 years of experience in managing global and international chains of restaurants in the USA and the Middle East. He was appointed in 2021 as the CEO of AG Café International Management Company to spreadhead an aggressive growth plan for Tim Hortons in the Middle East. He is the founder and president of ATK Consulting in the United States and Ahramiz FZ LLC, a leadership development and management consulting company based in Dubai.

With an illustrious career spanning over 23 years in the dynamic realm of the hospitality industry, Dr. Kamran Khan is regarded as a thought leader in the industry. After acquiring his MBA degree from Central Queensland University from Sydney, Australia in 1999, Dr. Khan's ventured into hospitality industry and started his career with ACCOR hotels – a pivotal moment that laid the foundation for his future triumphs

He is also a keynote speaker and delivers lectures at global conferences around the world on topics ranging from Food & Beverage, Marketing and leadership. He has also been bestowed with several leadership awards. On the entrepreneurial side, he is the founder of a popular hospitality online news portal Eat ‘N Stays (www.eatnstays.com).

Dr. Khan is currently the CEO of Arabian Entertainment Co. Ltd (a reputed restaurant company in Saudi Arabia operating leading international restaurant brands like (Applebee’s and Ocean Basket).

Hadi Al Hakim is the owner and CEO of International Trading Franchises, a premier F&B retailer in the UAE and Qatar operating 4 brands across 24 stores. Hadi has more than 23 years of European and regional experience in F&B, strategy, investment banking and management consulting.

Hadi started his career as an investment banker and has led and managed the execution of a variety of public and private cross border M&A transactions with a total value exceeding AED 15 billion. He has served on the boards of several companies in the GCC, advising shareholders on expansions with a substantial focus on strategic initiatives within the food and retail industry.

Nishant has over 22 years of experience in Food and beverage management and currently in charge of food and beverage innovation for Costa Coffee EMENA region. His Costa career has spanned several countries since 2016, having previously led the F&B Function for South East Asia from Singapore. Moving to Dubai in 2018, Nishant was responsible for our Middle East F&B Innovation until 2021. Nishant recently moved to a new position leading the F&B Innovation team across the Middle East and Europe, both for Retail & B2B.

Previously Nishant has worked as NPD for KFC at Yum restaurant international MENA and as Senior chef in Oberoi hotels in India .

Dimitrios Bezas has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics & Business Finance and Masters of Sciences in Insurance & Risk Management from Bayes  Business School in London. In early years, he led and developed his family business restaurants, and café chain in Greece. 

In 2012, he returned to London and worked as General Manager in Peggy Porschen Cakes where he developed the franchisee concept of Peggy Porschen  for the Middle East market. 

In 2015, Dimitrios developed  the franchise of Amorino Gelato in UAE and Qatar.  In 2021 has founded Calimera Foods importing and distributing  Mediterranean food items to GCC. In 2022 he has been involved in the KSA market on development and expansion of Dr Café in KSA market. Currently, he is involved in the relaunch of Amorino in the UAE market. 
 

Alan is an Irish national, based in Dubai, and is the Vice President of International Development with Wingstop, a brand with more than 2,100 restaurants globally. Having spent 13 years with KFC as a GM in geographies such as Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Spain and the Middle East he has had the opportunity to lead markets at various stages of their lifecycle. Previously with Deloitte Consulting in Central Europe for 6 years Alan also spent two years with Cloudkitchens.com as the GM for Southern Europe.  

Mr. Gursoy is currently, Vice President of EMEA, India Subcontinent and Australia of Inspire Brands since December 2019. He was the Managing Director of EMEA, India Subcontinent and Australia of Dunkin’ Brands from January 2019 till December 2019.  Prior to this role, he was the Regional Director of MEA of Dunkin’ Brands from January 2014 till January 2019.  He started his career at Dunkin’ Brands (acquired by Inspire Brands in late 2020) as the International Business Manager of MEA in January 2012.  Prior to his Dunkin’ Brands roles, he held General Management, Operational Management and Marketing roles in QSR, Coffee chains and hotels in various parts of the world including UAE, Australia, Serbia and Cyprus. Mr. Gursoy holds an MBA specialized in Marketing and BA in International Relations.

Sudha is a Food Technologist from SNDT Mumbai and has 26 years of experience in the food industry. She is a subject matter expert in food processing & nutrition across various industries like bakery, dairy, produce, liquid products, and poultry. She is highly intuitive and can marry intelligence with intuition. She is a certified Sensory and Flavor Expert, BRCGS Lead Auditor, and trained in International cuisines by Culinary Institute of America, NY

She is currently working with Papa John’s International for the past 11 years supporting the Middle East, Africa, and Asia markets. In her tenure with Papa Johns, she led R&D for Asia, and the MENA region for 8 years. She has been instrumental in opening Papa Johns in various countries and growing the business in these markets.

Currently, Sudha is heading FSQA and the Better Ingredients Better Pizza initiative for the region. Sudha is based out of Mumbai however travels extensively to support all her international markets.

Master’s degree holder in business administration and having 25 years of extensive experience of QSR industry particularly in GCC market. Presently working as “Director Business Development” for Marrybrown international. Associated with the brand for over two decades and my areas of expertise includes, formulation of long-term brand expansion strategy, market competition analysis, evaluating emerging business trends. Throughout my career performed different roles in the organization and contributed to the areas of people development, product innovation, profitability enhancement & strengthen brand loyalty. Proudly achieved “Chairman Award” in 2017 from Marrybrown founder as a token of appreciation for my contributions towards the brand.

A 20 plus years of experience between the USA & GCC. Successful leadership experience in multi-site business operations, restaurant management, start-up strategies and human resource initiatives in multinational, consumer-oriented environments. Proficient as a top team leader and business driver in all aspects of new business development, process development, oversight of cross-discipline staff and timely delivery of multi-projects, drawing the overall strategy for the business aligned with board direction.

Extensive exposure to cross-cultural dynamics and multinational practices throughout the Middle East & the USA.

Rasna has a rich background in hospitality and business development. Born and raised in the vibrant city of London, she embarked on a journey that eventually led her to the dynamic landscape of Dubai.

Armed with a graduate degree in English Language & Literature from the prestigious University of Manchester, she possess a unique blend of linguistic and literary insights that enrich her approach to business.

Before joining Neat Burger, she played pivotal roles as a Business Development Executive and Project Manager at 1OAK, a renowned hospitality brand. During the three years there, she honed their expertise in project management and business development, laying the foundation for her current role. Today she serves as the Head of Business Development for Neat Burger, which is part of the esteemed Baker Street Hospitality Group. In this capacity, she is instrumental in driving the brands growth, partnerships, and development strategies.

Mehak is a dedicated professional with a diverse background in marketing, advertising and media. After completing my studies in these fields, I embarked on a journey that took me from Dubai to the United Kingdom. 

Driven by her love for creative storytelling and a desire to make a meaningful impact, She found her calling at Neat Burger, which is part of the Baker Street Hospitality Group. Joining the team allowed her to combine her skills and expertise with her passion, as they actively contribute to the brand's mission of promoting sustainable and ethical dining choices.

 
Today, she is a valuable member of the Neat Burger family, where she play an integral role in shaping the brands communications and marketing strategies. She is excited to be part of a movement that is not only satisfying their professional aspiration, but also making a positive impact on the planet through Neat Burger's commitment to sustainability.

Simon Foster is Senior Operations Manager for Wendy’s Middle East, operating UAE, Kuwait, overseeing Qatar and the addition of KSA after successful market entry earlier this year. The Wendy’s team have picked up several awards in the Wendy’s system including Best International Franchisee and the Jim Near Legacy award for Talent and Organizational Excellence for the turnaround of the business in the region.

Prior to Simon’s role at Wendy’s Alghanim Industries, he has worked with Shake Shack based in Kuwait, Burger King, Costa Coffee and M&S Food in the UK, with his F&B journey beginning in McDonalds in 1990 working through the ranks from part time crew member to Restaurant Manager

Mohamed has more than 32 years of experience, working as General Manager MENA in Galadari Brother Group company, originally from Egypt, professional, experienced and well knowledgeable F&B at senior capacity, always aim to reach his full potential and further his growth with his team, a results driven leader that is eager and aggressively looking for great achievement through a well guided & supported team.

He achieved various accomplishment through his business life, and expert in turning around brands and business, through implementing marketing activities, and effective cost-savings measures which led to a reduction in cost, brand turning around, increased bottom line.

Arun Barnes is an industry veteran, with over 30 years in the Quick Service restaurant & Leisure Based Entertainment business, working at several leadership roles across multiple US franchisor concepts across International markets. He is a hard-core operator.

He spent 11 years at McDonald’s, 12 years at Papa John’s Pizza, 6 years at CEC Entertainment and has been with CKE for over a year as SVP / GM International focusing on growth across MEACIS region.

He is a setup and turn-around exert and has assisted both franchisor operated restaurants and multiple franchise partners, across all International markets, improve their ROI through upliftment in Average Unit Sales and optimizing costs and Capex.

As Deliverect’s Middle East General Manager, Naji Haddad is responsible for integrating third-party food delivery platforms with restaurant POS systems, automating the delivery process so it can be managed more efficiently. Naji comes with a wealth of experience in food tech and has previously worked with internationally respected brands. With his experience in digitising operations in hospitality, he has a clear vision of how the industry is changing. Since joining Deliverect in 2020, Naji has put Deliverect on the map to be a leader in the food tech space, helping F&B to thrive in the Middle East.