03. Walid Hajj

Saudi Arabian

Executive chairman, Cravia

Founded in 2001, Cravia is one of the leading organisations in its field in the region, with a presence in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE.  Responsible for providing strategic direction for the company’s portfolio that includes more than 90 restaurants and a team of 3,000 people, Hajj’s role encompasses business planning, organisational excellence and the long-term development objectives for six brands under the Cravia umbrella — Cinnabon, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Zaatar w Zeit, The Steak Bar, Carvel Ice Cream and the company’s most recent franchise acquisition, Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

The launch of Five Guys Burgers and Fries in several markets during the last 12 months has contributed to the company’s aggressive growth with global record-breaking stores like the Five Guys in Mateen Plaza in Riyadh and Five Guys in Khobar which, at the time of each of its opening, broke the daily sales record of any Five Guys globally.

The company is also making waves on an international scale leading Harvard University to write a business case study about Cravia and its history which is now taught in the University’s Entrepreneurship classes.

The company focus in 2018 is to manage its continued growth in a way that is flat, nimble and has the ability change quickly if needed.

NUMBERS GAME...

Number of years working in the F&B industry: 22

Operational outlets: 93

Staff: 2900

Coming soon: Six outlets in the pipeline in 2017 and more than 15 in 2018 across all brands and all markets

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