• Miami Herald, Ad Age, Friday, September 10, 2010 9:36 AM

How we wish someone could keep the trains running on time here in the U.S. Now, Burger King has found a man who has been doing that for Brazil. But, it's snagged Bernardo Hees, 40, to be its new CEO and, writes Douglas Hanks, lead the QSR chain in a "Brazilian makeover."

Hees is a star at 3G Capital, which owns a stake in America Latina Logistica, where Hees is CEO. Last week, 3G signed a deal to buy Burger King Holdings for $4 billion. Hees has enjoyed a storied career in Brazil, rising quickly through the ranks at the upstart railroad company. "That was essentially his first job,'' Hanks quotes Sandro Andrade, an assistant professor of finance at the University of Miami, as saying. "It's amazing.''

Hees joined ALL in 1998 as an entry-level analyst, but was COO by 2003 and got a promotion to chief executive in 2005. In a statement, 3G managing partner Alexandre Behring praised Hees and singled out his acumen for boosting revenue as well as profits -- corporate-speak for keeping down costs.

Meanwhile, over in the United Kingdom, Burger King is introducing the King as part of a new campaign, tagged, "Taste Is King," reports Jennifer Whitehead. The 60-second spot, created by Crispin Porter & Bogusky, broke over the weekend during a prime-time airing of "The X Factor," the hugely popular British version of "American Idol."

The introduction of The King in the U.K. comes four months after Natalia Franco was installed as CMO of Burger King globally. In the U.K., Burger King's sales fell by 2.3% in the year ending June 30, 2010, while rivals McDonald's Corp. and Subway saw sales grow during the same period .

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