Get to know Vijay Sethu, chairman of 4FINGERS
The Singapore-based fast food chain is eyeing to create a F&B portfolio with "global scalability".
The partnership between Singapore-based fast food chain 4FINGERS and Australia-based Mexican chain Mad Mex is part of the former's strategy to create a portfolio of three complementary retail food and beverage concepts.
Their aim? Global scalability.
One of the minds behind the plan is 4FINGERS chairman Vijay Sethu, who has had over 30 years of experience in investment banking across Asia, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Americas. A private investor, he is also a non-independent, non-executive director of Taliworks Berhad (“TCB”) a Malaysian public listed corporation and TEI Sdn Bhd, a joint venture company between Taliworks and the Employees Provident Fund of Malaysia (“EPF”).
Sethu previously held leadership positions across key brands such as CIMB, ANZ Investment Bank, holding Directorships at International Medical University Malaysia, Malakoff Berhad, Cerahsama, Don Muang Tollway and Infraco Asia. Vijay has an MBA from Auckland University and is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants UK, an Associate Member of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Chartered Accountants as well as a graduate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK.
QSR Media talked to Sethu, who further elaborated on their plans to scale with brands that have "global potential."
QSR Media: How would you best describe 4FINGERS to Australian consumers?
Sethu: Honest and good crispy chicken, deliciously hand-brushed, and brimming with character and attitude!
QSR Media: Why is Mad Mex the ideal brand for 4FINGERS to invest in?
Sethu: As a leading QSR brand in Australia, Mad Mex possesses characteristics similar to 4FINGERS, all while remaining incredibly scalable. The people behind the brand also share similar goals and values to us and are passionate about what they’re delivering to their customers.
As a relative young brand, we also have the advantage and freedom of molding ourselves to match current trends and consumers’ demands. Especially in a market like Australia, saturated with established food chains, we constantly need to find ways to disrupt the status quo and expand our global footprint.
QSR Media: What's next for 4FINGERS after partnering with Mad Mex?
Sethu: The acquisition of Mad Mex is our first step towards aggregating a high-quality complementary portfolio of food & beverage concepts with global scalability. We’re currently on the lookout for a third brand to achieve this -- a brand with similar characteristics to 4FINGERS and Mad Mex - strong, established, profitable and fast-growing that is easily scalable and has global potential.
