Merrill Christopher Pereyra has been the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of QSR Brands (M) Holdings Berhad (QSR Brands) since January 2017. He is responsible for over 1,200 Pizza Hut and KFC stores located in Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Brunei, with over 34,000 employees. Pereyra joined QSR Brands in June 2016 as Chief Operating Officer, and was promoted to CEO in January 2017, a mere six months later. Pereyra provides operational and strategic leadership and vision to QSR Brands’ restaurant chains. Before joining QSR Brands, Pereyra held leadership positions in leading quick-service restaurants, i.e. Domino’s Pizza, Healthy Habits, and McDonald’s Corporation.

Pereyra cut his professional teeth with the McDonald’s Corporation as Trainee Manager. He left the corporation 23 years later as its Regional Manager. With the experience he gained working in McDonald’s, he spent a year writing “Expand Your Brand: How to Supersize Any Brand Anywhere in the World,” and delivering keynote speeches. The book summarizes his work experience and demonstrates how his experiences in different situations may be applied to other expanding brands. In 2011, Pereyra joined Healthy Habits as its Managing Director. Two years later, he joined Domino’s Pizza as its CEO and was responsible for turning around the business to a profitable model. He was also responsible for senior hires and talent development, and created the first ever Talent Management Fast Track program, DELTA, for the business.