Raza Pirbhai

Mr. Muhammad Raza Pirbhai is the Chief Executive Officer of KFC Pakistan (GRAY MACKENZIE RESTAURANTS) a visionary leader and a philanthropist. He has been leading the company since 2014 with a Vision to make KFC Pakistan the most loved and trusted food retail brand. Raza has over two decades of experience serving FMCGs and the food retail. He was among the founding team of Pizza Hut Pakistan and has been in Yum System for over two decades. (Yum is the parent company for KFC, Pizza Hut & Taco Bell Globally).

Raza is an MBA from West Coast Institute of Management & technology (Perth) and went to Cornell University for “Strategic Restaurants Management Specialization”  Recognized as a catalyst for change, Raza Pirbhai serves as a board director at DeafReach. Additionally, he contributes to fostering economic growth and development in Pakistan as a member of the USAID Investment Promotion Activity Board. He was the Vice President at the American Business Council, he advocates for policy-level changes in Pakistan to further attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country. 

Raza believes Education, Diversity, and Inclusion are the three pillars which can be used to create sustainable social ecosystems in Pakistan; nurturing the youth via education initiatives and preparing the corporate world to embrace them in all their brilliant shades through diversity and inclusion efforts. To fulfill this vision, Raza has been championing Mitao Bhook Foundation’s impact for the past seven years, leading KFC’s efforts towards educating thousands of children across Pakistan with a particular focus on the differently abled population of the country as well as females. Under his stewardship, KFC currently educates 6000+ students across geographies and backgrounds in Pakistan. The coverage and scope of projects include The Citizen’s Foundation (TCF), KFC Pakistan Campus (Saifal Goth, Gadap West), Super Gas Campus (Baseera, Muzaffargarh), Uch Power Limited (Dera Murad Jamali, Jacobabad), Ghulam Faruqe Campus (Shaidu, Nowshera) which provides student scholarship to 800+ students in these four campuses. The partnership with AmanTech, is based on student sponsorship covering the vocational training of 100 individuals. Working with the Orange Tree Foundation as an administrative partner 89+ students are supported with educational scholarships. The adopted school of CYTE Foundation covers the scholarship of 300 students.

Building on Raza’s vision for an inclusive Pakistan, the brand created dedicated partnerships with Deaf Reach via an adopted school with 220+ students and 60 teachers covering academics, skills training and job placement with entry level positions at the KFC franchise. This scope was expanded with the sponsored Dewa Trust campuses focusing on 1600+ differently abled individuals. The Foundation also provides weekly meals to 160 children at Waja Rahim Buksh Sarbazi School in Lyari, Karachi to prevent malnutrition and hunger in marginalized populations.  Under the guidance of Raza’s service – oriented leadership, KFC Pakistan has become a culture where inclusiveness is a reflex, not an initiative. KFC Pakistan was the first international business in the country to recruit and empower differently abled team members in their retail stores on a national level, increasing the opportunities available to them and encouraging acceptance in customers. The company currently employs 300 differently abled individuals thriving at all levels of store operations. Raza has also pioneered inclusivity training for all levels of management at KFC and launched nine dedicated differently abled-run restaurants across Pakistan. These restaurants have the highest turnovers in the region. Raza’s vision for a more inclusive corporate environment has created sustainable inclusivity for differently abled persons, with KFC Pakistan’s efforts applauded by the President of Pakistan, Mr. Arif Alvi.  Muhammad Raza Pirbhai strongly believes in unleashing the latent potential of Pakistani women as catalysts of the nation. He observes, “Women are half of our country’s population; to undermine them is to undermine the nation.” Under this vision, KFC Pakistan currently employs over 500 women across Pakistan in roles of all levels, including leadership roles. It was also one of the pioneers of female delivery fleets in Pakistan, reclaiming women’s right and access to public spaces. To build capacities for their female team members, KFC Pakistan launched the KFC Female Higher Education Program Scholarship (FHEPS), empowering the female workforce to embark on their higher education journey to catalyze their careers.  

Raza is a trailblazing CEO, driving growth for not just KFC Pakistan but the marginalized communities of the country. His Dynamism and entrepreneurial exuberance have helped him manifest and create successful family ventures in the field of retail, real estate, and non- profit organizations. Summing up his vision, he says, “Pakistan is my home, and I want every single one of my Pakistani countrymen to have access, feel included and empowered. It is only by believing in all our people and challenging the status quo to accommodate their stunning excellence, can we become a great country.”