Founder & CEO, Pure Planet | Co-Founder & Managing Director, Zad International United LLC

Icons Oman Leadership Spotlight
Shaping the Future of Food and Hospitality Through Structure, Strategy, and Scalable Growth

“Strong brands are not built on ideas alone. They are built on discipline, systems, and relentless execution.”

With more than 24 years of experience across hospitality management and food and beverage operations, Karim Abd El Razek stands as a transformational leader shaping the future of multi-brand restaurant systems across Oman and the wider region. His career reflects a rare blend of strategic foresight, operational mastery, and people-centered leadership, driving sustainable growth across complex, high-volume hospitality environments.

As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pure Planet and Co-Founder and Managing Director of Zad International United LLC, Karim leads from the front, converting vision into structured execution, and ideas into scalable business platforms.

Building Scalable Hospitality Platforms at Pure Planet

At Pure Planet, Karim leads the development and transformation of food and beverage brands across Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, with a clear focus on structure, profitability, and long-term scalability.

With over 25 years of hands-on industry experience, he has:

• Created more than 30 restaurant and café concepts
  
• Managed over 50 successful brands and outlets
  
• Built scalable operational frameworks from concept to execution
  
• Delivered performance-driven solutions for investors and operators
  

His expertise spans:

• Concept creation and brand positioning
  
• Operational systems design
  
• Menu engineering and workflow optimization
  
• Expansion planning and scalability frameworks
  

Pure Planet operates on a simple principle: strong brands require disciplined systems and practical execution, ensuring that strategy delivers real-world operational impact.

“True growth happens when creativity meets operational discipline.”

Driving Group-Level Excellence at Zad International United LLC

As Co-Founder and Managing Director of Zad International United LLC, Karim leads the operational execution and structural development of the group’s restaurant businesses in Oman.

His responsibilities include:

• Establishing group-wide operating standards and governance frameworks
  
• Driving performance control systems
  
• Overseeing multi-brand scalability and consistency
  
• Aligning daily operations with long-term expansion strategy
  

Operating at the intersection of strategy and execution, Karim works closely with ownership and leadership teams to convert ambitious vision into commercially sound and scalable operations.

Multi-Brand Leadership at Ajwan Hospitality Group

Before his current ventures, Karim served as Chief Operating Officer at Ajwan Hospitality Group in Doha, overseeing operations across 10 food and beverage brands.

His leadership portfolio included:

• End-to-end operational governance
  
• Process optimization and efficiency improvement
  
• Brand consistency and service quality enhancement
  
• Workforce leadership and performance development
  

This experience further strengthened his ability to lead large-scale, multi-unit operations while maintaining brand integrity and customer experience.

Franchise Systems and Expansion Expertise

Karim’s career is deeply rooted in franchise development and multi-market expansion. His leadership roles across Go Crispy, Franchise Arabia, IL Sorriso, Tiger Bills, and Cinnzeo Bakery Café reflect a consistent focus on:

• Franchise system structuring
  
• Market entry planning
  
• Brand governance and compliance
  
• Operational auditing
  
• New store rollout frameworks
  

Across these roles, he led franchise operations, supported international market expansion, and implemented governance systems that enabled sustainable growth across the Middle East and North Africa.

“Expansion succeeds when systems travel better than people.”

Foundations in Operations and Brand Leadership

Karim’s professional journey began with hands-on operational leadership at KFC and Marrybrown, where he managed restaurant operations, workforce development, compliance systems, and profitability frameworks.

These early leadership roles instilled a deep operational mindset, shaping his long-term philosophy around:

• People development
  
• Operational discipline
  
• Cost control
  
• Brand consistency
  
• Customer experience excellence

Academic Excellence and Professional Certifications

Karim holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Management from Greeks Edge University, USA, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism and Travel Services Management from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.

His professional certifications include:

• Certified International Project Manager
  
• Certified Franchise Executive
  
• C.H.A.M.P.S Master Program
  
• Certified Coffee Specialist
  
• Certified Food Safety HACCP Manager
  

Fluent in Arabic, English, and French, Karim operates effectively across diverse international business environments.

Building Systems That Build Brands

Across every stage of his career, Karim Abd El Razek has demonstrated exceptional strength in:

• Multi-brand restaurant management
  
• Franchise system development
  
• Group-level governance
  
• Performance control frameworks
  
• Leadership development and coaching
  
• Commercial problem-solving
  

His leadership philosophy centers on structure, clarity, and execution, enabling brands to grow with confidence and resilience.

“Sustainable brands are built when leadership transforms complexity into clarity.”

Karim Abd El Razek represents a new generation of hospitality leadership in Oman, blending entrepreneurial vision with disciplined operational execution. His impact extends beyond brand creation into building scalable systems that enable sustainable growth, operational excellence, and workforce empowerment.

Icons Oman proudly recognizes Karim as a leader shaping the future of hospitality and food service across the Sultanate and the region.