A performance-focused business leader, Merrill Pereyra has over 35 years of experience in the QSR industry globally, working with major brands such as Pizza Hut, KFC, and McDonald’s Corporation.
Merrill joined as Managing Director of Pizza Hut India Subcontinent in September 2019 and is responsible for driving overall operations and long-term profitability of Pizza Hut in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives.
Under his leadership, Pizza Hut India Subcontinent has achieved significant growth milestones, including opening over 200 stores in 2022, reaching 700+ stores, and expanding to over 200 Indian cities. Merrill's focus on technology and operational agility has resulted in rapid growth of the delivery channel and the brand achieving robust System Sales Growth of 47% in 2022, the highest amongst all Pizza Hut subsidiaries globally. (As per the results posted by Yum! Brands, Inc. for Q4 and year ended December 31, 2022).
Prior to joining Pizza Hut Indian Subcontinent, Merrill has led brands across global markets like the Middle East, South Pacific, Australia and Asia spanning different segments of the QSR industry including Marketing, Supply Chain, Equipment, HR And Operations. He has also led QSR Brands (M) Holdings, part of CVC Capital Partners, EPF and Johor Corporation which dominates Malaysia’s rapidly expanding retail food industry, as the Executive Director and CEO.
Merrill believes in constant upskilling and is a proud alumnus of some of world’s leading universities including Harvard Business School, Wharton University and INSEAD, holding a range of certifications in Leadership and Strategic Business Management.
A strong supporter of children’s charities, Merrill has been associated with Ronald McDonald House and Dymocks Children’s Charity. In his personal time, Merrill enjoys penning down his experiences as a leader and has also authored the book ‘Expand Your Brand, how to supersize any brand, anywhere in the world’. He considers floral arrangement as a therapeutic hobby and enjoys cooking Italian dishes in his leisure time.
