Vikrant Vohra Named President and CEO of KFC Business at Sapphire Foods India

MUMBAI — Sapphire Foods India Limited has appointed Vikrant Vohra as President and Chief Executive Officer of its KFC business, effective from July 25. The appointment follows the resignation of Deepak Taluja, who steps down from the same role at the close of business on July 24 after a decade with the company.

Vikrant Vohra Appointed President and CEO of KFC Business at Sapphire Foods India

Vohra moves to the KFC leadership role from his current position as Executive Vice President and CEO of Sapphire Foods India's Pizza Hut business, where he has led brand management, retail network scaling and strategic operations. He will continue as a member of the company's senior management team in his new capacity.

The transition is an internal elevation. Vohra has spent close to a decade within Sapphire Foods, having previously led KFC operations across Karnataka, Kerala and West India before taking over the Pizza Hut business. Vikrant vohra is stepping back into the KFC division at the top level.

Alongside this change, Sapphire Foods has also elevated Saurabh Girdhar to Assistant Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Pizza Hut business, effective the same date. Girdhar currently serves as COO for Pizza Hut operations in Bengaluru and Kerala.

Deepak Taluja Steps Down After a Decade at Sapphire Foods

Taluja has been with Sapphire Foods since 2015, initially leading the Pizza Hut business as CEO before taking over as CEO of the KFC business in 2019. He disclosed in his resignation letter that he had the privilege of serving the organisation for 10 years and thanked the company's leadership and teams for their support. He will support the transition through his notice period until his departure on July 24.

Vohra's Career Profile

Before joining Sapphire Foods in 2016, Vohra spent nearly two decades in hospitality, starting with The Park Hotels and building through Hyatt Hotels, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and Marriott International.

At Hyatt Hotels, he led restaurant operations in Kolkata, including the launch of La Cucina and Biscotti. He then spent six years with Taj Hotels, progressing from Food and Beverage Manager to Executive Assistant Manager for Food and Beverage at a premium Taj property. At Marriott International, he served as Director of Operations at the Marriott Convention Center and Hotel in Pune.

Vikrant Vohra then made the shift to Yum! Brands, working as Operations Head for Karnataka and Kerala, then Operations Head for Western India managing close to 50 stores before moving to Vice President West for KFC. That transition from luxury hotel operations to large-scale QSR management, and doing it credibly across both, defines what Vohra brings to the KFC CEO role.

About Sapphire Foods India Limited

Sapphire Foods India Limited is one of the largest Yum! Brands franchisee operators in the Indian subcontinent, with a presence across India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The company operates KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants across high-traffic locations in major cities and is listed on the Indian stock exchanges. Its restaurant network spans several hundred outlets across both brands.

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