Business Leaders interview: Alexis Fornos

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.

I’m Alexis Fornos, the CEO of one of the biggest franchisee restaurant groups in Spain. We mainly run restaurants from the leading Italian restaurant chain in our country called La Tagliatella. 

Besides, we integrate the full chain value process because we design and manufacture hospitality concepts for the main actors in the sector like Yum, Dine Brands, Amrest or Le Pain Quotidien. This business unit allows us to be flexible in the decoration of our projects but also reinforce relationships with our franchisors being customer and supplier at the same time, better said, partners. 

How did you develop your leadership skills and how would you define your leadership style?

I strongly believe in teamwork. It’s a very common sentence but I feel identified with: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. I’ve studied management, master’s in finance and I’ve been professor at the University teaching finance and accountancy linked to BSC and KPI… however in my opinion being part of my University team and finally become the captain, was one of the most important types of knowledge I’ve learned in my life and defines my leadership style. 

Innovating is crucial in our very diverse industry. How do you stay ahead of trends and incorporate them into your global strategy?

Nowadays competition in hospitality is so hard and being updated it’s a must if you want to keep on going in your market. It’s not only a matter of customer trends, but also about management. You can have a great concept but if you don’t have the right ratios or the right control, it’s not going to last.

Where do you think the most promising investments should be focusing on and/or made on?

One of the biggest assets in a project is the people who are involved. So, if you invest in your team, you will get results 100% sure. Hospitality business is still about people and despite today you also have robots that can help in your operations, people can give you the difference to have the success you are looking for.

What is or are your biggest career achievement(s)?

I’ve opened a new delegation in the US and changed the scope of the enterprise from local to International. In a Spanish city located in the middle of the desert we are manufacturing restaurants for New York, Honolulu, Shanghai, Dubai, Paris…  

Have you achieved everything you wanted in your career so far?

No, of course!! I have lots of challenges and I’m pretty sure the best is going to come.

What was the hardest decision you have taken as a leader?

Not all the projects are successful, so sometimes despite your feelings you have to make decisions that are painful. When you start a new project, you have lots of illusion and lots of expectations (in a business plan… ;)), but when figures show you the reality, you have to do what you must do and this is also part of your tasks as a leader.