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Tag: director

  • Apple appoints new retail head to ramp up sales

    Apple appoints new retail head to ramp up sales

    In an effort to ramp up slow iPhone sales amid sluggish smartphone market, Apple on Wednesday appointed a new head of global retail and online stores. Deirdre O’Brien will take over as Senior Vice President of Retail and People, reporting to CEO Tim Cook, the company said in a statement. “For more than three decades, she has helped keep Apple focused on serving customers and enriching lives,” said Cook.

    “I am thrilled to work alongside Deirdre in her new role, and I know our 70,000 retail employees will be, too,” he added.

    After five years, current retail head Angela Ahrendts plans to depart Apple in April for “personal and professional pursuits”.

    O’Brien will continue to lead the People team, overseeing all People-related functions, including talent development and Apple University, recruiting, employee relations and experience, business partnership, benefits, compensation, and inclusion and diversity.

    “I am looking forward to this journey, and to continuing the important work of the People team in supporting all of Apple’s amazing employees,” said O’Brien.

    Despite slow iPhone sales, Apple posted $84.3 billion in revenue for the first quarter of its fiscal 2019 — a decline of 5 per cent from the year-ago quarter — while revenue from its other products and services grew 19 per cent.

    Apple operates 35 online stores and 506 retail stores in five continents.

    In the first quarter of its fiscal 2019, revenue from iPhone declined 15 per cent from the prior year.

    Cook said that there are several factors why iPhone sales are not picking up in the emerging markets.

    “The customers are holding on to their older iPhones a bit longer than in the past.

    “When you pair this with the macroeconomic factors, particularly in emerging markets, it resulted in iPhone revenue that was down 15 per cent from last year,” Cook told analysts.

    The Apple CEO said foreign exchange is another key factor behind the slow iPhone sales. “The relative strength of the US dollar has made our products more expensive in many parts of the world,” he added.

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  • Avery Baker resigns from Tommy Hilfiger

    Avery Baker resigns from Tommy Hilfiger

    Tommy Hilfiger will jettison the chief brand officer role following the departure of incumbent Avery Baker in June, the fashion label has confirmed. Baker has announced plans to step down from the job in June. The marketer will then rejoin the company on a consulting basis, primarily as part of a new brand advisory board staffed by external advisors and chief executive officer Daniel Grieder.

    Baker’s C-suite brand responsibilities will be divided among other senior members of staff. She is currently responsible for global marketing, communications, brand strategy, creative direction for product design, global licensing and creative services.

    The marketer joined the PVH-owned company in 1998. She landed the chief marketing officer title in 2011 after a stint as executive vice-president of global communications and marketing.

    She was named chief brand officer in 2014.

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  • Li & Fung appoints Joseph Phi as new group president

    Li & Fung appoints Joseph Phi as new group president

    Li & Fung has appointed Joseph Phi as the company’s Group President. As Group President, Joseph will lead the company’s Supply Chain Solutions operating groups, including Business Development. He will continue as President, LF Logistics and to serve on the Board of Directors of Li & Fung. He will report to Spencer Fung, Group CEO.

    Joseph has a strong track record at tLFhe company having organically grown its logistics business over the past decade. He has nearly 20 years’ experience with the company and is well positioned to assume this important leadership role.

    Joseph joined Li & Fung in 1999 and was previously executive director of Integrated Distribution Services Group Limited from 2004 until its acquisition by Li & Fung in 2011. He is Chairman of GS1 Hong Kong and a Director of its Management Board and is a Member of Supply Chain 50.

    He is an advisory committee member of Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s Logistics Services and honorary advisor of the Asian Logistics and Maritime Conference. He also serves as an advisory committee member of Eye Fund, a charitable institution in HK.

    Joseph graduated magna cum laude from the University of The Philippines (UP) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and attained a Master of Business Administration degree with top honors also from the same university.

    He is a 2011 recipient of UP College of Business Administration Distinguished Alumnus Award and 2013 recipient of UP Industrial Engineering Alumni Award and UP Alumni Engineers Global Achievement Award for Logistics. Between 2014 and 2018, he was an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business and Management at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

    Joseph takes over from Marc Compagnon, who served as Group President and Executive Director of Li & Fung Limited from July 2014 and has moved to the Fung Group as Senior Advisor while remaining on the Board of Li & Fung Limited as a Non-Executive Director.

    Fung Group is the major shareholder of Li & Fung, whose core businesses operate across the entire global supply chain for consumer goods including sourcing, logistics, distribution and retail.

    Spencer Fung, CEO of Li & Fung said, “Our goal is to build the supply chain of the future to help our customers navigate the digital economy and to improve the lives of one billion people in the supply chain, and I am confident Joseph is the right person to build on the solid foundation that Marc has built and to take this to the next stage of development.”

  • Lanvin names Bruno Sialelli as its new creative director

    Lanvin names Bruno Sialelli as its new creative director

    Luxury fashion house Lanvin announced the appointment of Bruno Sialelli to the role of creative director. A relative unknown in the fashion world, Sialelli has worked for other luxury companies including most recently, Loewe, where he was head of menswear, under the guidance of the Spanish company’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson. Chinese conglomerate Fosun, who acquired Lanvin in 2018, said that the 31-year-old Frenchmen was hired to take the company in a “pivotal new direction,” a crucial call for the world’s oldest couture house.

    Lanvin’s chief executive Jean-Philippe Hecquet harmonised the sentiment.

    “We’re thrilled to welcome Bruno as the new creative director of Lanvin,” commented Hecquet. “His singular and very personal vision, his audacity, his culture, his energy and ability to build a strong creative team definitely convinced us. I can’t wait to discover Bruno’s first collections which will fully bring back to life this beautiful and unique fashion house, and once again inspire a passion among our customers.”

    In what has been a rollercoaster of a ride for the high-end French brand, Sialelli will take the top design spot as the fourth creative director to work at Lanvin in just four years.

    In 2015, Lanvin announced the shock departure of the label’s acclaimed designer Alber Elbaz, who was let go after disagreements with its previous owner, Taiwanese media magnate Shaw-Lan Wang. Elbaz had worked as Lanvin’s creative director for 14 years prior.

    Since then, it has been a tough slog for the 130-year-old company, which at its peak in 2012, was reportedly made 235 million euros, but sales have been steadily dropping ever since.

    In 2016, Lanvin reported a massive 18.3 million euro loss, after ten years of profitability.

    Following Elbaz’s departure, Bouchra Jarrar joined Lanvin, but quit as creative director after just a year-and-half, making way for Olivier Lapidus, who also quit, making way for Siaelli, the brand’s ray of hope.

    Before coming to Lanvin, Sialelli has also held design roles at brands like Paco Rabanne and Balenciaga. He is a fashion graduate of Studio Berçot in Paris.

  • J.Crew Chairman Mickey Drexler Steps Down

    J.Crew Chairman Mickey Drexler Steps Down

    J.Crew chairman and former-chief executive Millard “Mickey” Drexler has stepped down from his position to focus on other interests, including the development of investment business Dexler Ventures, LLC. Chad Leat has been elected as chairman effective immediately. Drexler is set to continue to serve as a strategic advisor to the company’s board and CEO.

    Drexler said it had been a privilege to spend 15 years with the business, and he was thankful to have been a part of its evolution throughout the years.

    “I look forward to working with the Office of the CEO and the board as a strategic advisor to help support J.Crew’s long term success,” Drexler said in an announcement to investors.

    Leat is a former vice-chairman of global banking at Citigroup and holds nearly three decades of markets and banking experience, having led numerous successful and profitable businesses at Citigroup.

    “I am honored to serve has the next chairman of J.Crew,” Leat said.

    “As chairman, my priorities will be to ensure that the J.Crew brand moves quickly to capitalise on recent momentum and to support Madewell’s growth towards becoming a one billion dollar brand, while also working with the board to identify strong, permanent leadership to guide the Company in its next chapter.”

    Drexler’s departure follows the exit of chief executive James Brett and chief marketing officer Vanessa Holden in November 2018. Brett had been in the position for 16 months, while Holden had been with J.Crew for one year.Adtech Ad

    Brett’s exit left the brand leaderless at a pivotal moment, according to GlobalRetail Data managing director Neil Saunders, who noted that the suddenness of the exit suggested a disagreement over how to develop the brand moving forward, and that the brand’s management had been an issue since before

    “If the departure of Jim Brett hails the return to these unrealistic attitudes, J.Crew is going to slip back and undo all of the progress made to date. Given the precariousness of its financial position, this is a mistake it cannot afford to make,” Saunders said.

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  • Henry Sy passes away at 94

    Henry Sy passes away at 94

    The founding father of Philippine retail, Henry Sy, has passed away. Sy, who has topped the Philippines Rich List for the last seven years, was chairman emeritus of SM Investments, one of the country’s largest business conglomerates. A Chinese immigrant who arrived in the Philippines at the age of 12 with his parents, his introduction to retailing began with helping out in his father’s neighbourhood store. He saved enough money to open a shoe store which he named ShoeMart, and whose initials later became the most recognisable brand name in the nation.

    From a single shoe store, his business expanded into department stores, the first of which opened in 1972, then into malls, with 70 shopping centres bearing the SM brand in the Philippines and more in Mainland China.

    SM Investments also owns supermarkets, BDO Unibank, almost 50 residential developments, six hotels and nine office towers.

    Sy, who died on Saturday, stepped down as chairman of the company in 2017, taking on the title chairman emeritus and leaving the business under the leadership of his family and his long-time business partner Jose Sio, who is now chairman.

    He had six children: Teresita Sy-Coson, Elizabeth, Henry Jr, Hans, Herbert and Harley. Teresita and Henry Jr are vice chairpersons of SM Investments and Harley serves as executive director of SM.

    Forbes last year estimated the 94 year old’s net worth at US$19 billion, ranking him the most wealthy Filipino and 53rd richest man in the world.

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  • 7-Eleven Malaysia appoints Tsai Tzung-Han as director

    7-Eleven Malaysia appoints Tsai Tzung-Han as director

    Convenience store chain operator 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Bhd has appointed Tsai Tzung-Han (pix) as a non-independent and non-executive director, effective Jan 16, 2019. Tsai, 42, is currently the vice chairman of Cathay United Bank, a subsidiary of Cathay Financial Holdings which is listed in Taiwan. He also serves as a director on the board of Cathay Life Insurance, the largest life insurer in Taiwan and also a subsidiary of Cathay Financial Holdings.

    Tsai had previously served in various capacities at Cathay Life Insurance, including senior vice president in charge of alternative investments and executive vice president in charge of real estate acquisitions and development, human resources and strategic planning.

    He also ran the strategic planning department for Cathay Financial Holdings from 2010 until 2016 and oversaw the strategic investments into Bank Mayapada in Indonesia, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation in Philippines and Conning Asset Management in the US.

    He joined Cathay United Bank in 2015 and served as the head of strategic planning until he became the vice chairman in 2016, where he continues to oversee the strategic planning, wealth management, digital banking, data analytics and overseas banking departments.

    Prior to returning to Taiwan, Tsai worked briefly in private equity at Goldman Sachs in New York and in venture capital at Pacific Venture Partners in San Francisco.

    From 2001 until 2003, he was a practicing attorney in the real estate department at Hale and Dorr LLP, currently known as Wilmer Hale, in Boston. Tsai has over 10 years’ experience in investment and business development in finance industry.

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  • Ananth Narayanan steps down as Myntra Jabong CEO

    Ananth Narayanan steps down as Myntra Jabong CEO

    Fashion e-tailer Myntra Monday said its CEO Ananth Narayanan has quit, a development that ends months of speculation about his exit following a recent re-jig at its parent group Flipkart. In a statement, Myntra said Narayanan has decided to step down as CEO of Myntra and Jabongto pursue external opportunities. Amar Nagaram has been named as Head, Myntra and Jabong, and will report to Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, it added.

    According to a report, there were speculations that Narayanan would quit after a new reporting structure was put in place when Binny Bansal — the then CEO at Flipkart Group (which owns Myntra and Jabong) — quit the company.

    As a part of the new structure, Myntra and Jabong were brought under Flipkart, with Narayanan reporting to Krishnamurthy.

    “Ananth has played an important role in making Myntra and Jabong into a formidable player in the fashion e-commerce market and steering the company towards sustainable growth,” Myntra said in its statement Monday.

    It added that over the last three and a half years, Narayanan and the management team have built a strong foundation for the company.

    “Myntra and Jabong are an important part of the Flipkart group serving our valuable customers. The company will continue to execute the growth strategy and leverage synergies with Flipkart as appropriate,” it said.

    The strong bench strength and new leadership at Myntra and Jabong will allow the business to continue on its strong and sustainable growth trajectory, the statement added. Nagaram, who recently moved to Myntra from Flipkart, has been working with the group for around seven years.

    “…(Nagaram) has played a pivotal role in making shopping accessible, delightful and affordable on every connected device. Most notably, he led the efforts on revisiting the boundaries of mobile web, making the experience on it as good as native,” the statement said.

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  • Nike appoints new Converse CEO

    Nike appoints new Converse CEO

    In the week leading up to Christmas 2018, Nike Inc. said it has recruited a new leader for its Converse brand, naming G. Scott Uzzell as its president and chief executive officer, to helm the heritage sneaker company in the New Year. Uzzell replaces Davide Grasso who has decided to retire at the end of this calendar year. He will report directly to Michael Spillane, President, Categories and Product, Nike Inc.

    Effective January 22, 2019, Uzzell’s new appointment comes at a time when the brand is setting “the stage to move into new spaces by reconnecting to its heritage in sport,” according to a press release in December from Nike Inc.

    “Scott’s unique blend of experience driving both strategic business growth and strong brand development is well-suited to help unlock the full potential of the Converse Brand and lead its next phase of growth globally,” said Michael Spillane, President, Categories and Product, Nike Inc.

    Uzzell comes to Converse from The Coca-Cola Company, where he most recently served as President, Venturing & Emerging Brands Group (VEB).

    As head of Coca-Cola’s VEB Group, the consumer goods executive led a portfolio of high-growth brands for The Coca-Cola Company, including Honest Tea, ZICO Coconut Water, Fairlife Milk and Suja Juice.

    Uzzell began his career within sales and marketing for companies such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and Nabisco, before returning to Coca-Cola in 2000 in the Strategy & Planning division. Since then, he has held a number of leadership positions across its business including McDonald’s U.S. Division, Global New Business Development, Global Marketing, ZICO and VEB.

    In addition, he is a member on the boards of State Bank and Trust Company; Fairlife and Suja Juice Company, as well as being a member of the Florida A&M University Foundation Board and is part of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC).

    Founded in 1908, Boston-based Converse is today owned by Nike. Converse shoes are sold globally in over 160 countries.

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  • Fonterra India appoints Ishmeet Singh CEO

    Fonterra India appoints Ishmeet Singh CEO

    Fonterra Future Dairy Pvt Ltd, a new joint venture between global dairy nutrition company Fonterra Co-operative Group and new age FMCG company Future Consumer Limited, announced the appointment of Ishmeet Singh as its CEO, effective from January 7, 2019.

    Singh, a seasoned leader with a proven track record of profitable growth and business expansion, joins the business to deliver its ambition to bring high value and innovative dairy products to Indian consumers.

    Singh was a member, Western Region Committee (WRC) of the American Chamber of Commerce. He is a physics graduate, and has a Master’s in Management Studies from Mumbai’s Sydenham Institute.

    Singh says, “Over the next seven years dairy consumption is set to increase by 82 billion litres – seven times the forecasted growth for China. I feel extremely privileged to be able to lead this new opportunity as we look to bring an enhanced dairy experience to Indian consumers. I firmly believe through Fonterra Future Dairy we have a huge opportunity to challenge and change the market, combining Fonterra’s global dairy innovation, manufacturing and nutrition expertise with Future Group’s leadership in retail and distribution expertise and infrastructure.”

    Leading the growth and expansion of some of the world’s largest, trusted flagship brands in the Indian market, is familiar territory to Singh, having worked over the last 25 years at top multinational and FMCG companies such as Mattel, Vodafone, Hindustan Unilever, and Coca-Cola.

    Most recently, he led the business at Mattel, largest toy manufacturer in the world, as its Country Manager for India and the SAARC region. Previously, he held the role of Business Head at Vodafone India for over 5 years, leading remarkable revenue growth and retail expansion in many circles including Mumbai and Maharashtra.

    Managing Director Future Consumer Limited and Board Member of Fonterra Future Dairy, Ashni Biyani says, “We’re delighted to have someone of Ishmeet’s calibre to lead the business. As a sales and marketing professional at heart, we see him being instrumental in helping us build a brand that Indians love.”

    Fonterra’s Managing Director of Sri Lanka and the Indian Subcontinent, Chairman of Fonterra Future Dairy, Sunil Sethi said, “As our exciting growth phase picks up steam, it is critical that people with the right experience, values and drive are in place to steer the business forward. We are in the process of putting together a first-class team to build a fantastic legacy for the business. Through the ambition we have set, we believe the learning experience and possibilities here at Fonterra Future Dairy are limitless. Ishmeet is a proven and highly accomplished professional with a passion for leading teams to transformative success and growth. With his vision and deep personal commitment to society, we are confident that he will bring immense value in delivering on our ambition.”

  • Carousell Expands Executive Team to Strengthen Operations and Leadership

    Carousell Expands Executive Team to Strengthen Operations and Leadership

    Carousell, one of the world’s largest and fastest growing classifieds, announced the appointment of industry veteran Su Lin Tan as Vice President of Operations, while Colin Bryar has taken on an advisory role. The new additions reflect the company’s steadfast commitment to solidify its market-leading position in the classifieds industry and to continuously improve user experience of our marketplace in the region.

    “We are always on the lookout for world-class talent who shares our values and passion for solving meaningful problems with technology, and we are tremendously fortunate to have found that in Su Lin and Colin,” said Siu Rui Quek, Carousell Co-founder and CEO. “Their collective experience and proven track record in transforming organisations amidst complex digital environments will be invaluable as we power through our next chapter of growth. It is an absolute privilege and I look forward to learning from them as we continue to innovate classifieds in an AI-first world.”

    Su Lin, previously Deputy Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Sales Strategy and Operations at Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), brings over two decades of leadership experience in digital strategy, marketing and the classified space to Carousell. Having overseen sizable advertising sales and digital organisations and working across complex organisational eco-systems, she was most recently associated with the launch of Singapore’s first and only digital publisher alliance, the Singapore Media Exchange, Su Lin serves as the Vice President of Operations to lead the teams in scaling up operations in Singapore and across the region. In her new role at Carousell, she reports to Co-founder and CEO, Siu Rui Quek.

    “I am deeply honoured and humbled at the chance to work alongside Carousell’s visionary founding team. I knew they were destined to achieve great things from the first time we met back when they had first started the company,” said Su Lin. “Despite their incredible success in a short span of six years, the leadership team’s deep commitment and mission-driven values to make an impactful change in the world have never wavered. Their humility and willingness to learn and grow, not only themselves but also their people, moved me. I am excited for the opportunity to help make the founders’ dream come true so that we might show the world what Singapore born and bred
    companies are capable of.”

    In his new advisory role to Carousell’s executive leadership team, Colin will focus on identifying opportunities for faster growth and providing a world-class customer experience for users across the region. Colin has successfully led digital platform businesses in all stages of evolution for over 25 years in various senior leadership roles at Amazon, IMDb and Alibaba-owned RedMart. He also served two years as Technical Advisor to Jeff Bezos. This unique blend of experience makes Colin a great fit for the next phase of Carousell’s growth.

    Colin shares his excitement for tackling new challenges at Carousell, “In my many years of working with major tech companies, the potential I saw in Carousell and the impact it can bring to many more millions of users around the world is something really special. I have profound admiration and respect for the founders and their vision for the company. It’s an exciting time to be part of a team that is aggressively expanding its capabilities to bring simpler and more trusted solutions to help people discover new possibilities when buying, selling and connecting with one another.”

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  • MSIG Hong Kong names Philip Kent as new CEO

    MSIG Hong Kong names Philip Kent as new CEO

    General insurer, MSIG, has announced the appointment of Philip Kent to the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He succeeds former CEO, Kenneth J. Reid, who has retired after 26 years with MSIG Hong Kong. Philip Kent most recently served as Executive Vice President of Planning for the Singapore-based regional holding company, MSIG Holdings Asia, over the last two years leading business development across the region and spearheading the regional digital strategy in Asia. With more than 28 years in the insurance industry, he has broad insurance market experience encompassing leadership and technical roles across Asia, including Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong.

    “We are pleased to have Philip lead MSIG Hong Kong as CEO. His accomplishments and track record of building strong partner relationships and inspiring colleagues make him an ideal leader. He is also very familiar with the market having worked in Hong Kong for 11 years,” said Alan J. Wilson, regional CEO, MSIG Holdings Asia.
    “The industry is dynamic with many insurers going digital and leveraging on new technologies. With Philip’s experience, he will be able to continue the digital transformation that Ken has started for MSIG, ensuring that we are well placed to continue serving the needs of our customers in Hong Kong,” he added.

    Outgoing CEO Kenneth J. Reid has retired after leading MSIG Hong Kong as CEO for 13 years and after a successful career of nearly 35 years with the Group. During his tenure, Mr Reid led MSIG Hong Kong to more than double its gross written premiums and played an instrumental role in forming a partnership with DUAL Asia in 2009, significantly expanding MSIG’s business portfolio. He also contributed to Hong Kong’s general insurance industry as Chairman of the Motor Insurer’s Bureau of Hong Kong from 2015 to 2017.

    “Ken’s vision, accomplishments and impressive track record of building strong client relationships, have materially strengthened MSIG Hong Kong. He leaves a firm foundation and a resilient company. I would like to sincerely thank him on behalf of the Board and the Group for his substantial contribution to MSIG,” Mr Wilson said.

     

  • E-Land’s owners step down from management

    E-Land’s owners step down from management

    Owner family members of fashion conglomerate E-Land Group stepped down from management on Thursday, handing over the helm to younger executives internally promoted to leadership roles. The move comes in an effort to rejuvenate its governance structure to strengthen the role of the board of directors of each affiliate and enhance their autonomy when it comes to making business decisions.

    Founder Park Sung-su, 65, will step down from the day-to-day management of the group while remaining chairman. He will focus on nurturing next-generation leaders and developing new businesses instead of being directly involved in the management of subsidiaries.

    “In the past, our chairman made a lot of important decisions across the group, but since late 2016, we’ve been making preparations to give more autonomy to affiliates and develop their capacity to make business decisions on their own,” said an E-Land spokesman.

    Park’s younger sister Park Sung-kyung, 62, also stepped down from her position as vice chairwoman of the group. Having worked at E-Land for more than 12 years, Park has led the group when it comes to external affairs in the last few years. She also managed E-Land’s global operations, including in China.

    Stepping aside from management, Park Sung-kyung will chair the board of directors of the E-Land Welfare Foundation, which pursues charity activities inside the group.

    To fill the void, two vice chairmen were appointed. Former E-Land Retail CEO Choi Jong-rang has been promoted to vice chairman of the retail subsidiary, which operates NewCore department stores as well as popular shoe brand Shoopen. Kim Il-kyu has also been newly appointed as vice chairman of E-Land World, which manages the group’s key clothing brands.

    E-Land also promoted a handful of top executives in their 30s and 40s to head up their respective business divisions.

    Choi Wan-sik was promoted to CEO of E-Land World’s fashion division. Choi previously gained recognition for his performance as the director of Spao.

    At E-Land Park, which manages the group’s resorts and restaurant chains, 35-year-old Kim Wan-sik took over the reins as the subsidiary’s head of restaurants, which includes buffet franchises Ashley and Pizza Mall.

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  • Yum! appointed new leader for Pizza Hut Asia Pacific

    Yum! appointed new leader for Pizza Hut Asia Pacific

    Pizza Hut International on Tuesday announced that Unnat Varma, Managing Director, Pizza Hut India Subcontinent has been elevated to the position of Managing Director, Pizza Hut Asia Pacific effective 1 January 2019. In his new role, he will be responsible for steering Pizza Hut to the next phase of growth across the Asia Pacific region. Varma will be based in Pizza Hut APAC headquarters at Singapore and will report to Vipul Chawla, President, Pizza Hut International. As part of the APAC growth strategy, Pizza Hut India-Subcontinent will now be inducted under the Asia Pacific Business Unit. In total, Varma will oversee over 5500 stores across 22 countries.

    With Varma at the helm since 2015, Pizza Hut India-subcontinent has achieved strong business results with 10 successive quarters of positive Same Store Sales Growth. The brand has also expanded its physical store footprint – having recently launched its 500th physical store in the Indian Subcontinent.

    Under his stewardship, Pizza Hut has also pioneered the Fast-Casual Delco (FCD) concept in India, which offers a seamless integration of dine-in, takeaway and delivery channels, all under one roof and also upgraded all its digi-tech assets including the website, m-site and mobile app.

    These initiatives have enabled Pizza Hut to deliver on the promise of providing the Easiest, Fastest and the Tastiest pizza experience to consumers in India. As a result, Pizza Hut has been voted the most trusted brand in India for the 12th time in a row (as per a reputed media house) and was awarded the prestigious EFFIE Gold in the Foods and Confectionery category in 2018 for its outstanding consumer-centric performance.

    Varma is a respected and credible leader with over 24 years of industry experience. He joined Yum! in February 2006 and was elevated to Director Marketing, KFC, India Subcontinent in 2008. In February 2011, he took over the role of General Manager – Taco Bell and was responsible for launching the brand as the next growth engine for Yum! in India.

    After successfully establishing a strong foundation for KFC and Taco Bell, Varma was appointed as General Manager – Pizza Hut, India Subcontinent in December 2015and thereafter promoted as Managing Director – Pizza Hut, India Subcontinent in February 2016.

    Varma is also the Chairman of FICCI Task Force on Food Service Retail. Prior to joining Yum!, he worked with Gillette in India for 12 years across sales and marketing functions.

  • Voon Seng Chuan is new AmBank Malaysia chairman

    Voon Seng Chuan is new AmBank Malaysia chairman

    AMMB Holdings Bhd has appointed Voon Seng Chuan (pic) as the new chairman of AmBank (M) Bhd with effect from Jan 1, 2019. “Voon, a Malaysian, aged 60, has been a member of the board of directors of AmBank since June 18, 2015. He is also a member of the board of directors of AMMB,” AMMB said in a stock exchange filing on its directorship/chairmanship transition plan.

    Voon replaces Tan Sri Azman Hashim, 79, who will be retiring from six entities in the AmBank group in stages over a two-year period announced last year.

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