Mama Fu’s Asian House, the Austin-based restaurant concept specializing in fresh and innovative Asian cuisine, announced the addition of two new board members as the popular restaurant group embarks on a major expansion tripling its size over the next 18 months. Business veteran and change agent John S. Hamlin and marketing executive Diana Hovey will join Mama Fu’s heavy-hitting board of directors that already includes industry mavens Matt Hood, Jason Morgan, Ed Norton, Mark Adams, and Mama Fu’s president and CEO Randy Murphy.
Both Hamlin and Hovey will offer industry insight and vision as members of the Mama Fu’s board of directors. Each will be instrumental in guiding Mama Fu’s during its growth period taking the expanding restaurant concept to the next level.
"Both of these industry executives bring a wealth of experience and knowledge, which is vital to Mama Fu’s during this exciting time of growth and expansion," says Randy Murphy, president and CEO of Mama Fu’s. "Hamlin’s powerhouse career in corporate leadership and Hovey’s extensive background guiding brand strategy make them each invaluable assets. We are thrilled to have them join Mama Fu’s illustrious board of directors which now totals seven.
Hamlin is currently the president and managing partner of Bozeman Limited Partnership, an Austin-based private equity firm. He has been on the board of REI (Recreation Equipment Inc.) for the past eight years, holding the position of chairman for four. Hamlin is also the presiding director on the board at Tory Burch LLC and serves on the corporate board of Perficient, a technology consulting company. Prior to Bozeman, Hamlin had an impressive long run at Dell Inc., where he was instrumental in growing the tech companies global online business.
Hovey brings over 30 years of strategic marketing leadership in all restaurant industry segments. She currently serves as managing director of Dine Out for No Kid Hungry leading the restaurant industry’s effort to end child hunger in the U.S. Prior to joining Share Our Strength, Hovey served as chief marketing officer for Corner Bakery Café and vice president of marketing for Brinker International’s Mexican Concepts and Romano’s Macaroni Grill Divisions. Prior to that Hovey spent 16 years with Carlson Restaurants where she began her restaurant marketing career. Hovey is actively involved in the National Restaurant Association and is a former chair and board member of its Marketing Executives Group.
Mama Fu’s currently has 15 operating locations, five under construction, and another 35 locations in development over the next two years, mostly in the Southwestern United States. Mama Fu’s popularity has drawn the attention of an international company, GIGICO, which just introduced the concept to the UAE this past month in Abu Dhabi with Dubai soon to follow.
