03. Paul Evans, Managing Director, Solutions Leisure Group
Since coming to Dubai only three years ago, Solutions Leisure Group has enjoyed enviable success. Having acquired the already successful Karma Kafé in the summer of 2013, the company followed this by opening home-grown brand Q43 at the Media One Hotel just six months later.
Evans built on the company’s success with another concept — Asia Asia, which opened at Pier 7 in Dubai Marina at the end of last year. Within the last 12 months, Evans and his team have worked tirelessly to grow the monthly footfall at all the group’s venues to more than 50,000 customers per month. Evans also topped this up with a personal achievement by winning the 2015 title of ‘Restaurateur of the Year’ at the Caterer Middle East Awards in June 2015.
He has also signed and begun building three more F&B concepts. Lock Stock & Barrel, a large party bar, will open in late 2015 at the Grand Millennium Hotel, Tecom, and Solutions Leisure has also signed a second space in Souk Al Bahar, where it will open The Atlantic, a seafood restaurant concept from Melbourne, Australia, mid next year. The group’s first franchise roll-out of its Asia Asia brand is also scheduled to take place in Iran in January 2016, with the launch of Asia Asia Tehran.
Bite-sized facts:
Number of years in the F&B industry: 15
Number of years with this company: 3
Number of years in this role: 3
Number of years working in the Middle East: 15
Number of people you are responsible for: 400
Number of F&B outlets in the Middle East: 3
Nationality: British
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