Hero Brands appoints new international development directors to spearhead global master franchise deals

Christian Bradford and Steve Turner join Hero Brands as it gets ready to develop master franchise partnerships around the world

Christian Bradford and Steve Turner join Hero Brands at a time of significant global expansion across a portfolio composed of: German Doner Kebab, Island Poke and Choppaluna.

The portfolio consists of German Doner Kebab that has over 700 global franchises signed up to the fast-casual kebab concept.

Hero Brands recently bought the UK-based fast-casual concept, Island Poke, into its portfolio with 23 further locations in the pipeline, trebling its current number across the UK.

Choppaluna is a fresh food, to-go and in-dine concept that has opened locations in London and Berlin.

Christian Bradford joins Hero Bands from Buckingham Consulting, where he was the director of global business development and worked with numerous 500 master franchise companies. He was mainly focused on the retail and F&B spaces.

“It is great to be on board and working with the exceptional team at Hero Brands,” said Christian Bradford, international development director for Hero Brands.

“I have worked extensively with global brands across Asia, the USA and Europe and will use all of this insight to develop new partnerships and build our development pipeline throughout the globe.”

Steve Turner comes from the Al Mana Group where he worked as a global retail brand builder and recruited high-quality franchise partners in multiple territories, stretching from Armenia to Indonesia.

“I am excited to be joining Hero Brands at such a key phase in its growth strategy,” said Steve Turner, international development director at Hero Brands.

“We have some incredible brands in the portfolio that are responding to future consumer trends and I am looking forward to using my experience and insight to grow their reach across key growth regions.”

“Hero Brands is focused on growing the brands of the future,” said Athif Sarwar, CEO of Hero Brands.

“We are delighted to add Steve and Christian to the team. Their business expertise and international contacts will be a key asset as we forge ahead with our global growth plans.”

Christian and Steve will be charged with the responsibility to grow these brands across Africa, Americas, Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia.

Image: (L-R) Christian Bradford and Steve Turner of Hero Brands