The Future of QSR – Loyalty, Digitalisation, and Market Dynamics in 2025

Julia Illera is a Research Manager at Euromonitor International, leading a team of analysts delivering insights across multiple industries in the ANZ markets. With over 15 years of experience in consumer goods and foodservice research, she specialises in market trends, competitive intelligence, and customer engagement strategies, with a focus on loyalty and retention.

Before joining Euromonitor, Julia worked as a consultant in brand valuation, customer segmentation, and marketing optimisation, combining analytical expertise with a deep understanding of business dynamics to support strategic decision-making.

Nick Mecozzi has been with FranConnect for over 15 years during which he has held management roles in operations, sales and technology for the company and is currently Senior Vice President of Global Solutions Consulting.  He brings over 40 years of experience in technology sales, marketing and management for companies including IBM, HP and numerous startup companies in Silicon Valley. Nick’s experience gives him a balanced knowledge of underlying technology and processes as well as the business benefits of utilizing strategic platforms and solutions in enterprise and SMB environments.  
Nick is a graduate of Duke University where he earned degrees in Computer Science and Economics. 

Matt returned to RFG as Head of Growth in early 2020. He was subsequently promoted to the position of Head of Retail in November 2020, where he was responsible for driving strong operational outcomes for the Group’s domestic retail franchise networks within a challenging retail environment, including through the COVID-19 pandemic. He has since developed an extensive knowledge of all aspects of RFG’s business and played a vital role in implementing the Company franchisee first and consumer centric values and strategy. In June 2023, the Company announced Matt’s promotion to Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 July 2023, where he will drive the realisation of growth opportunities and sustainable value creation for the Company’s stakeholders. Prior to RFG, Matt worked with a variety of major brands and organisations including Cadbury Schweppes, Asahi, RFG and, more recently, Sanofi Consumer Healthcare. He has held a number of senior commercial roles including Head of Sales, Head of Trade Marketing, Managing Director – Brumby’s Bakery, and General Manager – Commercial Partnerships & Planning.

Emma is a Consulting Leader focusing on technology transformation in KPMG Australia, particularly within the Retail and Food Services Industry.

Prior to KPMG, Emma worked with Genpact as the Australian Transformation Lead, focusing on large scale retail and consumer goods digital transformations.

Emma also previously worked for McDonald’s for 26 years, spanning roles from working in Restaurant Operations through to Finance and Technology leadership roles. This included her role as the technology business partner for the then Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa (APMEA) region.

He was appointed CEO of The Cheesecake Shop in Australia in 2022, eager to reignite passion for the nostalgic brand as he and his team pursue ambitious expansion plans for the business across Australia and New Zealand. The versatile and dynamic business leader joined The Cheesecake Shop after two decades with Domino’s, where he oversaw operations inside the brand, most recently as CEO of Domino’s in Ireland.

He brings his appetite for the franchise industry to his role as CEO, alongside an innate ability to build connections, innovate and lead franchise teams to success. With exceptional leadership skills and business acumen, he is focused on growing The Cheesecake Shop's sales and improving company and franchisee profits.

Under his leadership, The Cheesecake Shop has recently undergone a significant rebrand, introducing a modern brand identity. This exciting new chapter for The Cheesecake Shop embraces their rich history and reflects the changing needs and desires of their customers.