Yousif Abdulghani, Managing Director of McDonald’s Middle East and Africa, was presented with a CEO Middle East Award recently. Abdulghani was recognised for his commitment to outstanding growth of the McDonald’s franchise across the Middle East and Africa over the past 20 years.
Commenting on the award, Anil Bhoyrul, Editorial Director, ITP, praised Abdulghani’s noteworthy contribution to the region’s franchising industry. He said: “Throughout his tenure, Abdulghani has exhibited exceptional insight into the rapidly evolving Middle East franchising industry. Contributing to the success of one of the world’s largest Quick Service Restaurant brands, Abdulghani has set the stage for good business practice in the region, and raised the bar for the sector at large. This award reflects the passion, hard work and commitment he has put forth over the past two decades.”
Of his achievement, Abdulghani commented: “I am humbled by this recognition, which I truly believe is a testament to the great work and focus of all our stakeholders; namely our DL partners, our corporate staff, and our suppliers, who build the brand and allow us to grow organically. While global brands like McDonald’s may enter the market with a long history of successful operations on an international level, our ultimate success relies on local talent, and a solid understanding of what is taking place on the ground with local stakeholders.”
“We opened our first restaurant in Riyadh in 1993, and are now well on track to opening our 1000th restaurant in the region later this year. From there, we are committed to more than doubling that number by 2020. It is a bold plan, and one that will rely heavily on the efforts and local knowledge of our committed partners and franchisees across the region,” he concluded.The Peninsula
