QSR Media Middle East Conferences & Awards 2025

Daniel Richards is Emirates NBD's MENA senior economist, focusing on markets in the GCC. Prior to joining Emirates NBD, Daniel served as Head of MENA Country Risk and as a senior Sub-Saharan Africa analyst for BMI Research, in London. He holds an MA in International Relations of the Middle East and a BA in Arabic, both from the University of Exeter.

Alan is from Ireland and serves as the VP/Head of International Development for Wingstop since January 2023. Formerly of AmRest, Cloudkitchens and Deloitte, Alan has worked across the world from Czech to Hungary, Poland, Spain and Portugal to the UAE and the Middle East amongst others. He is a KFC alumni where he spent 13 years of his career, Alan is a former professional rugby player and a proud husband and father of two children based in Dubai.

Steve founded Dubai’s homegrown award-winning burger brand Pickl in 2019 with one aim – to offer fresh fast food using the finest ingredients. Following the success that has seen Pickl open 15 restaurants in the UAE plus two in Bahrain, and one in Qatar, he is now taking his food philosophy to the next level with the introduction of Yolk Brands, a group consisting of the UAE’s finest, homegrown fast casual and quick service restaurants.

Along with Pickl, Yolk Brands includes BonBird, another Dubai-born concept designed from the ground up by Steve. Like Pickl, BonBird focuses on elevating fast food (this time fried chicken) to new levels and providing guests with a fresh, high-quality experience using only the finest ingredients. Four locations have opened already in its first year (City Walk, Motor City, Sharjah and JLT), so its quick rise is mirroring Pickl's. The latest addition to the Yolk stable has been Southpour, an artisan coffee shop with locations in City Walk and Dubai Festival City Mall, plus more on the way.

Hailing from Dorset in the United Kingdom, Steve brings more than 21 years of experience to his role. Having worked in the industry since he was a teenager, Steve’s wide-ranging career has seen him gain a holistic understanding of the F&B sector. He spent his formative years in the kitchen, starting from washing pots and pans before working his way up to become a high-end chef in the New Forest. Making the transition to managing restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, Steve earned the insight that has seen him conceptualise and open restaurants across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Prior to launching Pickl, Steve was the Head of Strategy for the 1762 Group in the UAE.

That made it all the sweeter when Yolk Brands acquired 1762 last year. Going from employee to employer. Since this acquisition Steve has gone on to create much loved BonBird, a homegrown fried chicken QSR that now sits proudly within the UAE market, Qatar, Pakistan and is soon to open in Oman and Europe. Dubai has been his home for the past eleven years, and Steve is proud to be at the helm of one of the city’s leading homegrown restaurant groups. Championing the people of Dubai and providing them with opportunities to grow alongside Yolk Brands’ concepts has always been at the forefront of his overarching strategy for the group, leading to 2023 being hailed as the “Year of the People” internally.

Aside from the success of his restaurant brands, Steve’s greatest success is always surrounding people. Unlike the vast majority of hospitality groups and individual restaurants, Yolk Brands has always had a 5-day work week instead of the 6 which is standard in this region, with Steve believing that work life balance is vital to a group’s success. He has championed winning ESOP programs within the F&B industry that has seen some of the best and brightest talents attracted to Yolk.

Steve has made it his mission to improve the welfare of delivery riders in the region. Since its inception, every Pickl has had a Riders Area for our hardworking delivery drivers to relax, get some water, and get out of the region’s intense heat while awaiting their order. He even extended this policy in Summer 2022 to include delivery riders from companies that don’t work with Pickl in a bid to help as many people as possible. Very few restaurants in the region offer such facilities, with many even putting up signs forcing riders to wait outside.

Global expansion is next on the agenda, currently Yolk Brands is proud to position itself as one of the biggest exporters of home-grown brands in the region with Pickl now open and positioned within the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Egypt and further sites being constructed in Saudi, Oman and Kuwait boasting a total footprint of 40+ stores by 2025. BonBird has also steamed ahead with openings in the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Oman and signed deals across Europe and an ever healthy pipeline of 80 stores to roll out imminently. This is one to watch.

With 25 years in the restaurant industry, I have extensive experience in business development and operational leadership, including in the Middle East, Central Asia, and India regions. I am fluent in multiple languages and an expert in multi-site management. I excel at implementing effective systems and strategies that enhance organizational performance. I am skilled at identifying and capturing market opportunities to drive expansion, increase revenues, and improve profit contributions. I have a long history of building successful food service teams, providing superior service, ensuring 100% compliance with regulations, and maintaining the highest levels of food and service quality.

Joseph Chartouni is the Chief Executive Officer of Al-Sayer Franchising Company (ASF), where he leads the operations of globally recognized brands including Caribou Coffee and Five Guys in Kuwait. With over 25 plus years of leadership experience, Joseph brings a strategic edge to the F&B industry, driving innovation, operational excellence, and customer-centric growth. Since joining ASF in 2023, he has focused on digital transformation and sustainable expansion, while actively evaluating opportunities for international market entry.

Murat Ungun is an accomplished and visionary leader currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of KUDU Restaurants Chain. With a wealth of industry experience, Murat has been instrumental in shaping the strategic direction and operational excellence of KUDU since he joined the company.

Murat started his career at Unilever, followed by Coca Cola, before dedicating over 21 years to McDonald’s Corporation, where he held the position of Director of Supply Chain Operations. In this capacity, he was responsible for the strategic sourcing, management, and performance of critical food, beverage, and operational product categories across 38 markets in the Asia, Pacific, Middle East, and Africa regions, overseeing an extensive network of more than 11,000 restaurants. His leadership and innovative strategies significantly enhanced supply chain efficiency and operational standards.

Murat made his transition to KUDU in 2015, initially serving as the Senior Vice President of Supply Chain & Brand Standards during a pivotal acquisition by Private Equity partners. His expertise in supply chain management paved the way for his ascent to Chief Operating Officer in December 2017, where he took charge of restaurant operations, development, and marketing departments. Under his leadership, KUDU experienced substantial growth and operational improvements.

In July 2019, Murat was officially appointed CEO of KUDU, where he continues to drive the company’s mission to deliver exceptional dining experiences while maintaining high standards of quality and service.

Murat's leadership is characterized by a commitment to innovation and excellence, and he is widely recognized for fostering a culture of collaboration within his teams. His strategic vision and ability to adapt in a rapidly changing industry have positioned KUDU as a leading player in the restaurant sector.

With over 20 years in consumer marketing across developed and emerging markets, I specialize in Brand Innovations NPD, and Global & Regional Category & Brand Strategy to drive Brand Equity, Portfolio diversification, and Growth. I spent 14+ years at Unilever Plc working in Beauty & Personal care to home care on top global brands like Dove, Simple, Vaseline, Lifebuoy, CreamSilk, CIF, Domestos, Sunlight, and creating new ones.

My journey includes driving multi-brand portfolios and expanding NPD/NPI opportunities in new geographies with effective Brand Communications based on consumer insights and digital strategy. In mid-2022, I joined Alshaya Group as Retail Director Brand Planning & Strategy, overseeing top brands like H&M, Debenhams, Victoria Secret, Bath & Body Works, Boots, The Cheesecake Factory, Shake Shack, P.F. Changs, Raising Cane’s, Pottery Barn, and West Elm. Currently, I hold a Group Marketing Director role for Hospitality (F&B & Entertainment), managing a cluster of 21+ brands and leading major expansions and launches, including known brands like Chipotle, Raising Cane’s, and Shake Shack across, The Cheesecake factory, P F Change in GCC.

David Sweeney is a seasoned QSR executive with more than 20 years of international experience driving franchise growth for some of the world’s most recognizable brands. Part of Dodo Pizza International Franchising team, David leads the ambitious expansion of Dodo’s tech-driven franchise model across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, helping make Dodo one of the fastest-growing pizza chains globally.

David’s deep industry expertise spans leadership roles at Papa John’s International as Director of Franchising and Business Development, and at Burger King, where he headed franchise sales for the UK and Scandinavia. He is also the founder of EasyPizza, a pioneering delivery brand that was later acquired by JustEat.

Lovrenc Kessler is the Managing Partner and General Manager at Simon-Kucher & Partners' FZ-LLC office in Dubai. As an integral member of the firm's global consumer practice and proficient in six languages, Lovrenc has successfully led numerous high-level international projects across Germany, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

With over 18 years of extensive consulting experience, Lovrenc specializes in advising market leaders in the consumer goods and quick-service restaurant (QSR) sectors on growth strategies, commercial excellence, offer architecture, and monetization strategies.

He has authored numerous insightful articles and whitepapers on monetization trends, consumer behavior, and strategic growth, and regularly shares his expertise as a distinguished speaker at international conferences and business events.

A passionate, multi-skilled, and seasoned leader, Jaskaran is the Vice President of Product, which charges him with overseeing Careem Plus, Careem Food, and Careem DineOut. He is responsible for defining the vision and strategy, and leading their execution across product, and operations, as well as brand and marketing. In his four years at Careem, Jaskaran has held several significant roles, including leading customer product across the mobility portfolio, covering rides, food, and groceries, while he also previously led the Captain product teams.

Prior to joining Careem, Jaskaran’s 16-plus years of experience spanned multiple sectors, such as driving digital banking initiatives and setting up a new shared-services entity at Emirates NBD, management consulting at KPMG, and core engineering roles in the early stages of his career, and has spent time working across emerging markets in the Middle East, India and APAC regions.

Having graduated with a degree in computer science from the University of Pune, India, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Jaskaran brings an impressive problem solving, strategic thinking, and leadership skillset to the Careem ecosystem.