Nico Watts

Experience

• 

  South African Air Force

  Feb 1989 - Jul 1990

  Lance Corporal
• 

  Santa Barbara Spur Steak Ranch

  Aug 1990 - Sept 1995

  • Senior Manager

    Feb 1992 - Sept 1995

  • Assistant Manager

    Jun 1991 - Jan 1992

  • Waiter and Barman

    Aug 1990 - May 1991
• 

  Wakita Spur Steak Ranch

  Oct 1995 - Sept 2000

  Operations Manager
• 

  Damelin Education Group

  Sept 2000 - Jan 2004

  • Sales Consultant

    Jan 2001 - Jan 2004

  • Lecturer/Trainer

    Sept 2000 - Dec 2000
• 

  Dros Restaurant and Wine Cellar

  Feb 2004 - Sept 2005

  General Manager
• 

  Ocean Basket Holdings

  Oct 2005 - Mar 2006

  General Manager
• 

  Mimmos Franchising

  May 2006 - Jan 2007

  Regional Operations Manager
• 

  Famous Brands

  Jan 2007 - now

  • Lead and manage all Project Managers in their respective region from the Project Brief process up to handover to Operations of the restaurant(s) to ensure projects are delivered on time and on budget• Improve the Quality of projects delivered by following the key Project Management principles required• Integration management, project scope, time and cost management, quality management, HR management, communication management, risk management, procurement management, and stakeholder management• Proactively manage suppliers' and contractor complaints • Manage and ensure that all handovers are done as per Company Guidelines so that restaurants can be opened correctly • Manage and ensure that there is a focus on getting completion certificates in 42 days as per company guidelines• Lead a team to ensure that all projects get post-mortems done and follow through on the recommendations and manages the resources to close the gap • Ensure that all site meetings are documented and done professionally and that the Project Managers are discussing critical items and discuss future work to come on the project• Upskill Project Managers to ensure that we have continuity across all regions in the project management field• Ensure that all projects are OHS compliant and that they have Safety consultants appointed. Check Audit reports to ensure contractors are following OHS regulations• Manage approval process with brand executives regarding the approval of store design, layout, and image of outlets• Liaise with the Project Coordinators for the purposes of placing orders for projects• Manage the alignment with the Training, Operations, and Services on an ongoing basis in order to ensure the correct and timeous coordination of disciplines for the opening of an outlet• Liaise with the financial department in order to compile project accounts, invoicing, and project reconciliation• Manage and assist with the development of new concepts where applicable Show less • Reported directly to Operations Manager• Developed and implemented franchisee-specific business plans and budgets• Interpreted monthly management accounts, benchmarked, and suggest corrective actions where necessary• Protected brand integrity via implementation and measurement of Standards of Operations Programmes• Identified and communicated formal training needs to the training department for training intervention• Monitored and reported competitor activity within the region• Identified in-store training needs and implement (OJT) on-the-job training interventions and coaching• Assisted franchisee in selecting and formulating locality marketing strategies to increase brand awareness and grow • Ensured implementation of national marketing campaigns• Enforced correct use of all supporting elements i.e., point of sale, premiums• Acted as brand custodian and ensured brand integrity was always protected via adherence to all requirements across key functions namely, Operations, Development, HR, and Marketing Show less

  • Project Manager

    Jan 2011 - now

  • Franchise Manager Steers

    Jan 2007 - Dec 2010