I have been a marketing professional and a management advisory services (MAS) consultant for 11 years. My strongest areas are strategic planning, commercial consulting, franchising and brand development.
Each client is a totally new universe. I enjoy interacting with each one of them, getting deep into their business and supporting them. It’s a very dynamic sector and is constantly changing. I learn something new every day.
As a child I wanted to be an architect, I loved to build and design with Lego. At the end of high school I wanted to study marketing, but my family forced me into medicine. So at the end of the first year, I changed from Gray’s Anatomy to Philip Kotler’s books on marketing.
After working for Yum! Brands for 15 years I felt I had to take the leap to become an entrepreneur and help others with my know-how. Years later I met my partner and friend Bill Taunton FCSI, and he recommended the Society to me. Then I went to a symposium, and was convinced that FCSI was for me. Becoming an FCSI consultant has been one of the best choices I’ve ever made.
Being an FCSI member presents many opportunities with the network of consultants, each specializing in their own area of experience. The learning and education at FCSI maintains a constant growth of personal innovation.
From a Latin Americas perspective, the sector is stuck with old practices and weak solutions. The incorporation of technology to make kitchens more effective and efficient is essential. With our work, consumer and business insights and professionalism, we can take the industry to a whole new level.
I have learnt to constantly innovate and keep learning since there’s never one solution to the needs of the clients. Each one of them is a Pandora’s box with unique requirements that need the best solutions for their concerns.
In my career several people have influenced me, but my last boss, Francisco Rovira, who I worked with at Pizza Hut in El Salvador, was the one who helped me think outside the box. His concept – applied to training all levels – means make mistakes in order to learn, and above all, find solutions from different angles, not just the most logical point of view.
I love tennis and play at least three times a week. My wife Diana is a wellness consultant, so I practice yoga. I love spending time with my family. Five children is not easy but is always entertaining.
Sam Kendall
