- Pret a Manger’s CEO Pano Christou began his profession at McDonald’s when he was 16.
- He was paid $3 an hour as a “crew member” however step by step rose up the ranks.
- Different profitable individuals have began out at McDonald’s, together with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Pret a Manger’s CEO began as a crew member at McDonald’s making simply over $3 an hour.
45-year-old Pano Christou spoke with Fortune about his profession development and admitted that he “fell in love with hospitality,” on the store ground at McDonald’s when he was 16 years previous.
“I am in a really completely different state of affairs now – however I do not overlook that £2.75 ($3.40) an hour was the place to begin of my profession,” Christou mentioned within the interview.
Christou was paid greater than £4 million ($4.95 million) together with wage and bonus at Pret within the 12 months ending December 2021, per the FT.
The Pret chief went viral on X in September after a screenshot of his LinkedIn profile was shared on-line. It confirmed his ascent from working as a “crew member” at McDonald’s to turning into a retailer supervisor.
He later spent 19 years climbing the ranks at Pret from assistant supervisor in 2000 to turning into chief government in 2019 accruing 9 promotions throughout that point.
Christou attributes this success to his hard-working dad and mom. His half-Greek and half-Italian father labored as a mini-cab driver, whereas his Greek-Cypriot mom labored as a nurse.
“My dad and mom did not have a number of cash. However what they did have was an exceptional work ethic,” he advised Fortune.
“I believe there’s luck alongside the way in which however total, in the event you work arduous and you’re very intentional, you possibly can obtain issues,” he added. “I’m an enormous believer in you make your personal luck.”
Christou mentioned his profitable profession is partly all the way down to saying sure to each alternative that got here his manner.
Throughout his time at McDonald’s somebody who was presupposed to grow to be a shift supervisor was fired and he ended up taking the spot at solely 16 years previous.
“Each time new, larger alternatives have been given to me I’ve at all times taken them – I’ve by no means mentioned no – even when it actually places me on the market,” he advised Fortune.
Like Christou, different profitable execs and celebrities began out their careers at McDonald’s together with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
