US-based Flynn Group has appointed two leaders to accelerate growth across its Pizza Hut and Wendy’s brands.
Richard Wallis is the new president of Flynn Group for Asia Pacific. Corina Black steps into the newly-created role of Flynn Group Wendy’s Asia Pacific chief marketing officer.
Wallis began his extensive QSR experience as a Pizza Hut delivery driver and over a 30-year career has held various roles at Yum Restaurants International across both Pizza Hut and KFC in operations, human resources and technology.
For three years he led the Pizza Hut Canada business and was most recently the MD for KFC Asia Pacific where he oversaw 17,000 restaurants and revenue exceeding US$16 billion.
Wallis said his business philosophy aligns with the Flynn Group, which manages the operations for seven major brands over 2900 restaurants and three countries.
“As the largest franchisee in the world, Flynn Group out-performs in every brand it operates, all thanks to the team’s customer-first approach and passion for high quality fresh food. I’m thrilled to take on this new chapter of growth,” Wallis said.
Richard Wallis succeeds Phil Reed, whose leadership since 2018 has driven 23 consecutive quarters of positive same-store sales growth. Under Reed’s stewardship, the business saw a significant expansion of the Flynn Group portfolio with Wendy’s New Zealand, and Wendy’s Australia.
CMO will support Wendy’s growth
Corina Black brings extensive experience in sports, entertainment and hospitality to her role with the Flynn Group.
Most recently, she was GM of marketing and ticketing at the National Rugby League where she led B2C and B2B marketing strategies both nationally and internationally. Black has held senior executive roles with Australian Turf Club, Formula 1 Grand Prix, and Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
Black is the first CMO to support Wendy’s expansion in Australia and New Zealand.
“As the chief marketing officer, I have the privilege of leading the charge to bring this iconic brand to the Australian market,” Black said. “We’re here to deliver something different; a brand with personality, a menu with quality and an experience that customers will want to share.”
Lauren Leahy, chief transformation officer at Flynn Group, commented on the new appointments.
“Richard brings an impressive balance of focused execution and visionary leadership. Alongside Corina and the dedicated team already in place, he is the perfect fit to lead Flynn Group’s strategic growth agenda in APAC,” Leahy said.
Flynn Group holds the master franchisee licence to the restaurant operations of Pizza Hut Australia, Wendy’s Australia, and Wendy’s New Zealand. It acquired Pizza Hut in 2023 and opened the first Wendy’s store this year.
This story was originally published on Franchise Executives.
