Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited
(RBD) announced that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the New Zealand Business,
Arif Khan
, will take on the position of Global Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective today. After
Russel Creedy
retires,
Mr Khan
will be appointed
Acting Group
CEO. In addition CPA Julio Valdés has been appointed Group Chief Financial Officer, effective
June 1st, 2023
, taking over for
Grant Ellis
whose retirement is scheduled for
May 31st, 2023
.
Key Highlights:
* Under his leadership the
New Zealand
operations have continued to grow rapidly, including the launch of
Taco Bell
into
New Zealand
in 2019 and its subsequent growth to 14 locations across the country, including the turnaround of
Pizza Hut
and Carl’s Jr. brands in
New Zealand
.
* RBD currently has over 250 locations across the
New Zealand
and employs close to 4000 people.
* Prior to joining Grupo Finaccess, Julio worked for more than 29 years at PwC, where he held several positions including Market Team Leader for the largest audit team in
Mexico
, overseeing 18
Audit Partners
and a staff of over 300 people.
Original Press Release:
Nov. 30
--
Restaurant Brands
issued the following news release:
Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited
(RBD) announced today that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the New Zealand Business,
Arif Khan
, will take on the position of Global Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective today. After
Russel Creedy
retires,
Mr Khan
will be appointed
Acting Group
CEO.
In addition CPA Julio Valdés has been appointed Group Chief Financial Officer, effective
June 1st, 2023
, taking over for
Grant Ellis
whose retirement is scheduled for
May 31st, 2023
.
Arif Khan’s extensive career spans more than 25 years in the hospitality and
Quick Service Restaurant
(QSR) sectors across both Franchisor and Master Franchisee networks. His global experience covers
New Zealand
,
Australia
, the
Middle East
,
Southeast Asia
,
Pakistan
,
Turkey
, and
North Africa
. He has a proven track record leading growth and innovation in large businesses.
Having spent several years at RBD earlier in his career, Arif returned to the company in 2018 as CEO to lead the
New Zealand
operations. Under his leadership the
New Zealand
operations have continued to grow rapidly, including the launch of
Taco Bell
into
New Zealand
in 2019 and its subsequent growth to 14 locations across the country, including the turnaround of
Pizza Hut
and Carl’s Jr. brands in
New Zealand
. RBD currently has over 250 locations across the
New Zealand
and employs close to 4000 people.
Arif is a strategic and commercially-focused people leader. He has a long history in both high level national and international managerial positions He has a strong business acumen and successfully steered the
New Zealand
business through the COVID 19 pandemic.
Julio Valdés, who has more than 30 years’ experience in accounting, auditing, merger, divestitures, and taxes, has provided a diversity of services primarily to companies in the consumer products, power & utilities, and manufacturing sectors advising both Mexican and international companies and supporting their comprehensive development. He has also participated in projects for multinational public companies with reporting requirements under the Sarbanes Oxley Act and has broad experience in reports required under IFRS, USGAAP, and MxGAAP.
Julio Valdés currently serves as CFO for Grupo Finaccess, a post to which he was appointed in
September 2020
. Previously, he served as Director, New Business Integration, and as such he participated in the process through which Grupo Finaccess acquired a majority stake in RBD.
Prior to joining Grupo Finaccess, Julio worked for more than 29 years at PwC, where he held several positions including Market Team Leader for the largest audit team in
Mexico
, overseeing 18
Audit Partners
and a staff of over 300 people. He also served as either Leading Partner or Manager advising several of the most relevant companies in
Mexico
and participated in PwC’s Global Leadership Programs.
“We wish to congratulate Arif for his promotion and are thrilled to welcome Julio to RBD,” said José Parés, Chairman of the Board. “We look forward to collaborating with them and the rest of the team as we continue on the path to consolidating our presence in the QSR market in
New Zealand
,
Australia
,
California
, and
Hawaii
. These are exciting times for RBD, and I am certain their combined experience will be a great asset.”
About
Restaurant Brands
Restaurant Brands
is a corporate franchisee and specialises in managing multi-site branded food retail chains. Its restaurant
New Zealand Customer Service Centre
and corporate office is located in Penrose in
Auckland
, with regional
Customer Service Centres
in
Sydney
,
Honolulu
, and
Los Angeles
.
Restaurant Brands
is listed on the
New Zealand Stock Exchange
under NZX code RBD and on the
Australian Securities Exchange
under ASX code RBD.
Source:
Restaurant Brands
[Category: Hospitality, Restaurants/ Food Chains, Management Changes]
