Reginald Fils-Aime
Vice President, Marketing, Panda Management Co., South Pasadena, California.
Age: 35. Why he's rising: Fils-Aime (pronounced "fees-a-may") played an integral role in Pizza Hut's Big Foot launch; product won an Edison Award for best new product in 1993; v.p. slot is his first. Ladder climbing: 1990 - 1991, associate advertising manager, Procter & Gamble; 1991 - 1993, division marketing director, Pizza Hut West; 1993 --1995, senior director, Pizza Hut, Inc. Schooling: B.S. with Distinction in Applied Economics, Cornell University. Performance: His efforts, largely direct mail and point-of purchase, have helped 200-unit Panda Express to achieve double-digit same-store sales growth in "certain venues." Mentors: Names Panda Management's Andrew Cherng and Pizza Hut's Anne McDonald. Wins praise for: Team-building and willingness to remain a hands-on manager.What the future holds: Trained as a marketer, Fils-Aime is anxious to link his his marketing knowhow to operations.