Marketing Director
Kout Food Group
Total years of experience :27 years, 11 Months
Head of Marketing for the Whole Group:
Of the International Brands: Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Applebee’s, and
Of the Regional-Local Brands: Kabab-Ji, Ayyame, Burj Al Hamam, Scoop-a-Cone, Fol O Yasmine and Melting Point.
Working as the point of contact for high-level communication with the Franchisors. Responsible for creating and building a robust, strategic, and commercially viable marketing calendar that addresses and supports the brand’s budgeted growth potential. Leading a team of about twenty people to achieve results based on company’s KPI’s.
Primarily oversee the regional calendars of each brand; engaging key marketing figures in the Franchise system & KFG Team leaders to enable successful execution through foresight & planning, of effective promotions that align healthy profit margins, short supply chain lead times, and regional support.
Oversee the marketing managers to execute the Regional and National Marketing calendars that includes acquiring special licenses, engagement of other relevant departments to deliver on time, and prepping teams for rollout-launches of all activities to create loyalty, customer advocacy and brand longevity.
Guide the Local Store Marketing (LSM) Team to focus on non-profit making sites to turn them around on agreed timeline. Guide the Marketing Managers to execute their National Calendars while focusing on ‘local connections in the society.
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• Lead to develop first ever local-Kuwait campaign for Burger King emphasizing the delivery business. Achieved increase of transactions in delivery of +17% in six week span.
• Lead the Pizza Hut to develop social media platform and lead business to have +20% growth YTD in June 2013
• Set conditions to apply, first for KFG, full scale social media mindset for Applebee’s restaurants
• Restructured Local Store Marketing Department. Results: June 2013 YTD sales have exceeded sales all of Year 2012.
• Developed social media department
Pizza Hut is Greece’s leading pizza restaurant business operating 42 locations, of which more than 30 also provide the service of the brand Wingstreet. KFC has a quite niche presence in the market having 12 locations. The total business for Food Plus SA exceeded 40 million Euros in 2010.
• Full accountability for the development, implementation and execution of the sales-marketing plan of all brands.
• Member of the Executive Board of the European Franchisees CoOp, which approves all European sales-marketing initiatives for the relevant markets.
• Head of the Call Center, leading a team of sixty people, who were responsible for the daily management of all inbound and outbound orders along with matters of service and after sales.
• Restructured the Pizza Hut business to focus on improving menu offerings, online sales, and local store marketing activations:
o Led implementation of new WEB and online ordering activation
Set up the first (after the UK) in Europe, web online ordering for Pizza Hut that provided incremental sales of 7% to the business and covered 18% of delivery sales.
Set up the team to run the business in terms of logistics, after sales and overall support.
Head of coordination with key departments (operations, IT and agencies)
Developed the strategy and implementation of the pricing, communication (ATL, SEO, WOM, etc) and joint-promo activations with associate brands and suppliers.
The site www.pizzahut.gr received Gold Ermis Award 2010 as best e-commerce site at the Greek National Advertising Awards (ERMIS AWARDS).
o New Product Development
Developed the new Philadelphia Stuff Crust Pizza (first ever globally) that after six years of existence covers more than 17% of pizza sales.
Rebranded the stores and offerings to provide the all new “Strada di Pasta” service (first ever European initiative, ) to provide pasta and more, helping boost dine-in sales more than 15% in the first two years of the launch.
McDonald’s has been considered the second burger chain in Greece. From late 2001 until mid 2003, the business grew from 55 locations to 75 locations. The chain at that time had system sales of about 36 million Euros.
• Full accountability for the development, implementation and execution of the sales-marketing plan that was also approved by the Franchisee CoOp on a bi-annual basis.
• Led the team that worked diligently with all franchisees:
o For specific needs of developing a LSM strategy
o As to provide assistance for the implementation of the relevant activations
• Helped rejuvenate the brand by focusing the business to the local appeal and value meals
o Built a communication platform based on well known menu maker (Ilias Mamalakis)
o Developed the Greek Mac (first ever globally) and McChicken based on pita bread
o Business grew 17% in 2002 and 6% in 2003.
Goody’s is the leading quick service restaurant chain in Greece currently operating 180 units. Goody’s had 39 units in 1991 to reach 167 in 2001. The overall network sales of Goody’s are roughly 700 million Euros.
• From June 1991 until August 1998, took on the role to lead many departments as to help develop the brand and the business as the leader of the market.
o From June 1991, had total accountability of the New Product Development and Research.
o In June 1995, added to the responsibilities was Head of Local Sore Marketing (new department).
o In September 1998, became the Director of Marketing and put forth the business plan to move the brand as an icon in the overall Greek market by launching a new slogan, new Christmas promo and fasting products.
• As head of New Product Development, had totally accountability of implementing all new products. The NPD 5-year plan concentrated on providing more viable solutions to enhance the Goody’s experience.
o Coordinated all development with relevant departments (suppliers, operations, training and agencies).
o The products were: Goodissimo (pasta); Premier (baguette sandwiches); Chicky’s (chicken sandwich); Texas Double (burger platter); Floca Fresh Ice Cream; Special array of food for Lent (Good News series); Golden Burger; Fish Fillet; Variety of salads (Caesar’s, Mexicana); XL Hot Dog; Fanatic Fries.
• As Head of Local Store Marketing:
o Took on the initiative to lead the LSM team that orientated franchisees and their store managers to become better acquainted with the Goody’s system and to realize the potential as impact of the restaurants in the relevant area.
Directly involved with the grand opening for more than 80 locations.
Trained to learn “the numbers” of the business
Provided seminars as to learn about LSM planning, its relevance to the business and its efficiencies
Provided (on -the-spot) assistance to each franchisee that implanted relevant activations.
MBA
1985 - 1987 Tennessee Technological University, USA • MASTER IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA) ; Honors: Graduate Assistantship