Mel Elias

Mel Elias
Born

1970 (age 45–46)


Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Residence Los Angeles, CA
Nationality Malaysian
Alma mater London School of Economics
Occupation President and CEO,
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (2008–13)
Board member,
International Coffee & Tea, LLC (2013–present)
Owner, Wava Studios
(2014–present)
Years active 1997–present
Website melelias.com

Mel Elias (born 1970)[1] is a Malaysian entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, California, and the former president and CEO of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

Early life and education

Elias was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,[2] and raised in Singapore.[1] After serving in the Singapore Army for two-and-a-half years,[2] he earned a law degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.[3] He practised law in Singapore and, as director of development for the Sunvic Group, opened and operated a Tower Records franchise in Malaysia.[3][4][5]

Career

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf was founded in 1963.[6] Elias joined the company as a marketing manager in 1997,[7] opening the first branch in Kuala Lumpur.[1][8] He is the brother-in-law of Victor Sassoon and Sunny Sassoon, who purchased Coffee Bean in 1998.[9] Elias moved to Los Angeles in 1999, to work out of the company's main office.[1] Helping to transform the company from a family-run business to a structured business enterprise,[3] he became vice-president of operations in 2000, was chief operating officer from 2001 until 2008,[10] and became president and CEO in 2008.[9][11] He remained in that role until stepping down at the end of 2013, moving to the company's board of directors.[8][12]

In his 14 years with the company, Elias helped it grow from 34 to over 850 stores worldwide, opening both franchise and company-owned stores in the US and 28 other countries.[1][13][14] As president and CEO, Elias focused specifically on growth in Southern California, and in emerging and developed markets in Asia.[11] He presided over the company's foray into single-serve coffee makers, through the sub-brand CBTL, which are sold in stores in the US and Asia, and use Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf coffee and tea capsules. The at-home system was conceived, created and distributed in less than a year. It was introduced in 2010 and 2011 in over 4,000 locations in the US and Asia.[1][2][15][16]

Other ventures

Since 2008, Elias has served as a non-executive director of investment firm Miroma Ventures.[5] In 2014, Elias acquired Los Angeles-based music recording studio Wava Studios.[17]

Honors

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kedric Francis, “Mel Elias: LA’s Coffee King,” Los Angeles Confidential, November 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Mark Scott, “How Mel Elias helped Coffee Bean adapt quickly to tap new customer demand,” Smart Business, August 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 “How Mel Elias has built The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to be a difference maker,” Smart Business, July 2013.
  4. 1 2 James Rubin, “Stories of Entrepreneurial Success Range Widely,” Forbes, 2 July 2013.
  5. 1 2 “Melvin Elias,” Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Elaine Woo, “Herbert Hyman dies at 82; founder of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf chain,” Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2014.
  7. ↑ “Coffee Bean Looking To Hire More Than 250 Across California,” CBS Los Angeles, 17 May 2013.
  8. 1 2 Justin Yang, “Coffee Bean Names New CEO, Elias Moved to Board,” Los Angeles Business Journal, 4 December 2013.
  9. 1 2 Justin Doebele, “The Brew to Be No. 2,” Forbes, 12 May 2003.
  10. ↑ Mel Elias profile, Musexpo.com. Accessed 2 August 2014.
  11. 1 2 “How lower coffee bean prices will affect drinkers,” CNBC, 1 October 2013.
  12. ↑ Lisa Jennings, “Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf names new president, CEO,” Nation's Restaurant News, 4 December 2013.
  13. ↑ “Mel Elias’ Picks for dineLA’s Restaurant Week,” Discover Los Angeles, 16 January 2013.
  14. ↑ “Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf CEO on Expansion, Coffee Prices,” Fox Business, 17 January 2012.
  15. ↑ Lisa Jennings, “Q&A: Mel Elias, president and CEO, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf,” Nation's Restaurant News, 7 October 2011.
  16. ↑ “Coffee Bean launches single-serve beverage system, set to expand in Asia,” Retail Asia, May 2011.
  17. ↑ “Worldwide Global News Update,” sromaginc.com, 2 March 2014.
  18. ↑ Felda Chay, “The sweet taste of success,” The Business Times, 9 April 2012.
  19. ↑ “Honoring the best of the best,” Smart Business, July 2013.
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