The Franchisee Summit 2023
"Building a Profitable Culture for your Franchise Business”
April 19, 2023 | Wed | 9AM-12NN via Zoom
Keynote Speaker
Jason Gehrke, MBA, CFE
Director
Franchise Advisory Centre,
Australia’s leading franchise education consultancy
Mr. Jason Gehrke has more than 30 years’ experience in the franchise sector in franchisee and franchisor roles, as well as an educator, advisor and writer on franchising issues.
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He is the founder and director of the Franchise Advisory Centre, Australia’s leading franchise education consultancy, and presents an extensive range of CFE-accredited professional development programs for franchisors throughout Australia, New Zealand and the United States. He has also previously presented CFE intensive workshops in the Philippines in 2018 for the Philippine Franchise Association.
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Jason is a frequent contributor to franchising publications in Australia and abroad, and publishes Franchise News, Australia’s leading email news bulletin on franchise trends and issues. He is also a practicing franchisor, and sits on the boards of two national franchise brands: Inspirations Paint, a franchisee-owned network of 136 specialist paint retail stores, and Thinkwater, a chain of 50 irrigation stores which also operates in New Zealand.
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He is a past chairman of the World Franchise Council, a current director of the Franchise Council of Australia, and is also a long-standing member of the Australian competition regulator’s Franchising & Small Business consultative committee.
Resource Panelists
Key Driver 1: Marketing
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William Xu
Managing Director, Alliance Venture
Master Franchisee, Potato Corner Myanmar
Since 2020, Mr William Xu has been a master franchisee for Potato Corner in Myanmar. After having opened three stores within the same year, he was able to establish 11 stores across the country and build the brand into the local youth’s favourite snack brand. Prior to Potato Corner, Mr. Xu also turned ChaTraMue, a well-known milk tea brand from Thailand, into a dominant player among numerous local bubble tea competitors with 15 stores in Myanmar’s major cities.
He is also the co-founder of Music Box, a family KTV lounge with four branches in popular shopping districts, and PowerHouse, a premium commercial fitness hub. Mr. Xu’s Alliance Venture also won the Top Partner Awards from Foodpanda in 2022 in recognition of his collaboration with delivery platforms to increase sales channels.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce, Major in Accounting and Marketing from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. Mr. Xu has accumulated eight years of experience in the F&B sector, specializing in international franchise brands and kiosk concepts and overseeing strategy, operations and concept development for his brands.
Key Driver 2: HR/People
Michael Martinez Godinez, FPM
Vice President
People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP)
Chief People Officer
Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.
Mr. Michael Godinez is the Chief People Officer/Senior Vice President for Human Capital and Admin of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. and the National Vice President of the People Management Association of the Philippines. Within PMAP, he previously served as the President of its Cebu Chapter for 2018. Between 2019 and 2021, he was a member of the PMAP National Board of Trustees.
He is a Certified Chief Human Resources Officer by the Asian Institute of Management and Certified Strength Coach by Gallup. Over the course of his 20 years of experience in the People Management field, Mr. Godinez has accumulated expertise in Strategic Talent Acquisition, Employee Engagement and Labor Relations, Learning and Organizational Development, Total Rewards Planning and Corporate Social Responsibility.
He graduated with honors from the University of San Carlos, Cebu City and the University of Santo Tomas, Manila with degrees in BS Psychology and MA in Clinical Psychology respectively. A mental health advocate, he is also a member of the Society of Fellows in People Management.
Key Driver 3: Operations
Justin Liu
Executive Director
Figaro Coffee Group, Inc.
Mr. Justin Liu is the Executive Director of Camerton Holdings and Figaro Coffee Systems, Inc., which owns Figaro Coffee, Angel’s Pizza, Tien Ma’s Taiwanese and The Café Portofino. He started his stint in the food business through his experience working in the local pizza industry, where he acquired knowledge and expertise in managing food brands, chain store operations and franchising. Under his leadership, the company has further expanded to insurance, technology and financial services. Mr. Liu applied his expertise as an investor and business operator in overcoming various challenges and ultimately listing the Figaro Coffee Group on the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2022.
He graduated with a degree in Business Management from the De La Salle University in Manila and a master’s degree in Financial Analysis in the University of San Francisco. Mr. Liu leads Camerton with an emphasis on sustainability with a focus on prudence and a conservative growth strategy.
He also continues to share his knowledge in finance, business strategy, marketing, and organizational management to both his colleagues and the rest of the Filipino business community.