Chicago Jan. 11, 2022—Acrelec, in order to elevate its strategic partnerships with its restaurant and retail customers, today announced the appointment of restaurant industry veteran John Owen to the newly created role of President, Acrelec Americas with responsibility for reinventing the customer experience alongside the restaurant and retail partners in the region.
“We are delighted that a seasoned industry executive who understands all aspects of the restaurant and retail business has joined our Acrelec team,” said Jacques Mangeot, Co-Founder of Acrelec. “Proximity is among our highest values and John’s tremendous restaurant industry knowledge and experience allows us to more intimately understand our customer-partners. His strong relationship skills, resolute character, and agility to effectively implement our unique end-to-end solutions in not only hardware such as kiosks but also software and service will ignite the growth of our customer’s brands in the Americas.”
Over his 34 years in the restaurant industry, Owen held a variety of operations and leadership positions at McDonald’s Corporation beginning his 30-year career as a crew member and working his way up to Corporate Vice President of Strategy and Execution. He subsequently became the President and CEO of Subway in Russia where he led the effort, along with his franchisees and suppliers, to double the size of the brand in his first two years to more than 700 restaurants. Most recently, Owen was the principle of Owen & Associates, LLC, an executive consulting firm specializing in assisting suppliers to the restaurant and retail industry to become strategic partners with their customers.
“John has a unique ability to marry his restaurant experience with an understanding of how we are leveraging AI to enhance the customer journey which directly supports guest satisfaction and revenue growth,” said Jalel Souissi, Co-Founder of Acrelec. “His deep industry knowledge makes him the ideal choice to lead the Acrelec brand in the Americas. I’m especially proud that we are able to attract first-class talent to demonstrate our investment in and commitment to the success of our customers that goes beyond the technology solutions we provide them.”
The hiring of Owen comes on the heels of Acrelec’s December 2021 acquisition of the iconic drive-thru tech brand OrderMatic. Acrelec counts over 80,000 installations around the world in 70 countries and nearly 1,000 employees, including two manufacturing plants and a 150-person software division. They work with iconic brands such as McDonald’s, Dunkin’, Burger King, KFC, and Taco Bell, providing a full ecosystem of technology solutions for drive-thru, self-checkout, kiosk and click and collect
“I’m honored to have been chosen to lead such an exceptional brand in the Americas,” said Owen. “I’m especially excited to be working with a team of people who are so passionate about developing and supporting an ecosystem of technology solutions in the drive-thru as well as in-store and look forward to working closely with our customers to elevate their brand experiences while accelerating their growth.”
About Acrelec
Acrelec is a global technology company focused on reinventing the customer experience for restaurant and retail brands. Leveraging decades of software, hardware and service expertise, Acrelec develops and integrates new platforms that increase customer engagement, optimize efficiency and improve operations.
Serving nearly 70 global customers—including iconic brands such as McDonald’s and Dunkin’—Acrelec counts over 80,000 installations in 70 countries, bringing its robust tech ecosystem for drive-thru, self-checkout, kiosk, and click and collect to people worldwide.
With nearly 1,000 employees around the globe, Acrelec collaborates with customers and partners to design, create, and build the world’s leading smart stores. Never satisfied with the status quo, Acrelec’s passion is in delivering breakthroughs that drive business results.
Media contact:
Bob Spoerl
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