One woman, three global brands

Sudha Shankarnarayan Iyer is a Food Technologist with a wealth of experience that stretches beyond 25 years in Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry. She has been associated with several brands such as Domino’s, McDonalds, Papa John’s, to name a few. She is also a certified Sensory and Flavour Expert, a BRCGS Lead Auditor and trained in International Cuisines at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America), New York.

Sudha completed her education from SNDT college, Juhu, Mumbai. Through campus placement, she was hired by Domino’s Pizza and was an integral part of the team that launched Domino’s Pizza in India in 1996. She played a pivotal role in sourcing basic ingredients like ‘the right maida’ for the pizza base, to the best cheese and toppings in the Indian market that would appeal to the Indian palate.

After her stint with Domino’s, she spent 11 years with McDonald’s as their R&D and QA head, leading a lot of innovations for the Indian market. At present, she works as the Director, Food Safety & Quality Assurance (Asia, Middle East & Africa) at Papa John’s Pizza International. She has been instrumental in opening new markets and launching many new products for Papa John’s. She also leads the ‘Better Ingredients Better Pizza’ initiative for the region. Through her associations with the global brands, she had been instrumental in introducing ‘McSpicy Burger & Peri Peri Fries’ in India, ‘Chamorro Chicken Pizza’ for Guam, and ‘Multigrain Seafood Pizza’ for Beijing & ‘The Carnivore Pizza’ for Middle East.

Being an ardent fitness enthusiast, Sudha starts her day with a run or does core strengthening, meditation and yoga every morning, before she gets down to her work commitments. She is also a trained Bharat Natyam dancer. She has recently taken up Kathak and is also learning to play the violin. She also manages to make time for riaaz amidst her busy schedule because by now, she is a master in time management. She is also an active member of a Rotary Club for over a decade and has been deeply involved in many initiatives. She has personally led and supported local adivasi communities in the area of woman empowerment, literacy, water and sanitation. Being from the food industry, she recognised that visually impaired students, while missing their sense of sight, have their other senses more accentuated than normal people. This led her to experiment and launch along with Industry experts, a unique Food Testing /Sensory Training Module for visually challenged children as a part of their ‘Skill Development’.

Before signing off, Sudha offers advice to youngsters who aspire to make a career in food technology. She says, “The world outside is full of challenges and unanswered mysteries. If one is prepared to decode this every single day with the same enthusiasm, then the world is yours – nothing can stop you. Work hard, wear your best attitude, do good each day and you will certainly get the keys to the door that will lead you towards a bright future.”

This article is an excerpt of the original article published by mediawire