Kraft Heinz names former Tim Hortons CEO as UK & Ireland chief

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Elias Diaz, new UK & Ireland MD at Kraft Heinz

Kraft Heinz has bought in the former global CEO of coffee and donut chain Tim Hortons to head up its UK & Ireland business.

Elias Diaz assumed his new role as MD of Kraft Heinz UK & Ireland this week, joining from Tim Hortons and Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International – the global food business also founded by Kraft Heinz majority owners 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway.

He takes over from Rafael Oliveira, who is also the group’s zone president of Europe, Middle East and Africa and had held the UK & Ireland role on an interim basis since October last year.

Diaz becomes Kraft Heinz first permanent UK & Ireland head since the departure of Jan Kruise in March 2016, whose role was temporarily assumed by then-European chief Matt Hill before Oliveira took it on as part of his wider responsibilities.

Diaz became the global boss of Canada-based Tim Hortons in 2014, but was promoted to a new role overseeing the wider group’s international development earlier this year. In June he became president of international expansion at RBI, managing the global growth of Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes with more than 23,000 restaurants in over 100 countries.

He began his career at Burger King as a lawyer in 2002 and became APAC zone president for Burger King Asia in 2011 before moving to Tim Hortons after the creation of RBI.

Diaz will report directly to Oliveira.