Culture Is About Action.

After 15 Years of Running Burger King in the Us, Canada and North-west Europe, Rajeev Varman Started a Flourishing Business in India.

- Sharon Masige

What do you say when someone asks you what kind of business you’re in? For Burger King India CEO, Rajeev Varman, the response is simple. “Some might answer, ‘I’m in the food service business’ or ‘I’m in the burger business’,” he says. “But I’m in none of these. I’m in the people business.”

After completing a mechanical engineering degree at Bangalore University, Rajeev moved to the US to get his MBA at the Golden Gate University in California. While there, he worked odd jobs to support his studies, before ending up as assistant manager at Taco Bell.

“My career started off-literally in a restaurant,” Rajeev explains. “As assistant manager, I used to do swing shifts that went until two o’clock in the morning. During my work there I really fell in love with the business; the amount of activity and the pace at which a fast food restaurant works.”

Soon enough, Rajeev began climbing up the ranks to become multi-unit manager of Taco Bell, and subsequently joined one of the fast food chain’s largest franchisees as vice president of operations.

However, when Rajeev’s US visa was about to expire, he moved to Canada and became a citizen. There, he took on the role of franchise business leader of Burger King’s western division; taking care of the businesses in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Rajeev was then promoted to national franchise manager of Burger King and two years later, was appointed general manager. “I was overseeing the entire business of Burger King Canada,” he adds.

In late 2010, private equity firm 3G Capital purchased Burger King, and removed several of the company’s senior leaders. Rajeev was one of the few who remained and was selected to turn the business around in Northwest Europe in 2011.