Judy Wight has been managing Pizza Hut in the Cayman Islands since 2000. Prior to that, it was her father Burns Rutty who was in charge. Mr. Rutty founded Pizza Hut in the Cayman Islands in partnership with James and Rosemary Bodden, and was a hands on manager until 12 years ago.
His daughter may be in charge of the Pizza Hut (and his son Gary Rutty of Burger King) now, but he is still in control, jokes Mr. Rutty.
It wasn’t a direct route from school to restaurant manager for Judy. After graduating from high school in Cayman, she began working in secretarial roles, working her way up to personal assistant, first for a trust company, then in insurance management and more recently for the managing director of a bank.
When her father asked her to take over the reins at Pizza Hut as he was heavily involved in a new project, Judy did not hesitate.
It was a huge change, says Judy, and remains a challenge even 12 years on. From taking care of one person in an office environment she found herself dealing with human resources, marketing, supervising shift changes and accounts payable, among other things. There were many new responsibilities but it’s a family business and one she was committed to.
Judy plans to carry on the work of her father and continue to expand the Pizza Hut franchise. Above all else, it’s a family business, and eventually she hopes to hand over the running of the restaurants to her younger son.
Related Videos
