Yum! Restaurants appoints Sandeep Kataria as CMO

Kataria has 16 years of industry experience

Yum! Restaurants (India) has got on board Sandeep Kataria as chief marketing officer to head its operations for the Indian subcontinent.

Yum! Restaurants is a part of Yum! Brands Inc., which is based in Louisville, KY. It has more than 35,000 restaurants in more than 110 countries. Some of its global brands include KFC, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver's and Taco Bell. The brands are leaders in the chicken, pizza, quick service seafood, and Mexican-style food categories, respectively.

In his new role, Kataria will be responsible for marketing, branding and brand public relation activities for Yum!.

In an official communiqué, Kataria says, "Yum! Restaurants is one of India's most dynamic food retail companies, with three successful and iconic brands opening here. The market in India is poised for a rapid, exciting growth phase and there is huge potential to increase our footprint and take our brands to new consumers and markets."

Kataria has more than 16 years of experience in the industry, having started his career with Unilever in 1993. During his long stint with Unilever, Kataria has handled various functions including general management, global brand management and strategy. He is an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Commenting on Kataria's appointment, Niren Chaudhary, managing director, Yum! Restaurants (India), says, "Kataria joins the senior leadership team at Yum! India with a rich diversity of work in the strategy and brands domain, combined with a passion for new challenges and opportunities. He will add significant depth to Yum! India's strategic mandate and working with the brands' teams."