Clients stroll out of a Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurant throughout lunchtime in Los Angeles, California.
Kevork Djansezian | Getty Photographs
Searching for the following CEO in your restaurant chain? Attempt mining the ranks at Yum Brands.
The restaurant conglomerate, which owns Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell and reported quarterly results Tuesday, has provided rival eateries with CEOs for many years. Between its globally acknowledged chains, large worldwide footprint and firm tradition, Yum has quietly develop into an incubator for future {industry} leaders.
“They’ve such a powerful give attention to management growth, and up to now couple of many years, they’ve had very, very robust CEOs who’ve led very a lot ‘individuals first’ or ‘tradition first,'” stated Sarah Lockyer, chief model officer of The Elliot Group, an government search agency.
Yum’s standing as a CEO coaching floor can hint again to its days as a part of PepsiCo, which can also be recognized for its expertise growth. The meals and beverage large owned KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell earlier than spinning off the enterprise as Tricon International Eating places in 1997. 5 years later, the corporate was renamed Yum.
“Our dedication to unmatched tradition and expertise permits our leaders to drive influence throughout our international enterprise,” a Yum spoksperson stated in an announcement to CNBC. “As the biggest restaurant firm on the earth, we’re proud that many {industry} leaders have roots at Yum!, and our power is in how we proceed to develop and elevate distinctive expertise inside our personal group.”
Lockyer pointed to previous Yum CEOs like David Novak and Greg Creed, who she stated gave different executives on the firm the prospect to shine and alternatives to develop their confidence and their resumes.
Take Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol. After beginning his profession at Procter & Gamble, he joined Yum in late 2005, when Novak led the corporate. Niccol had a stint as chief advertising officer of Pizza Hut earlier than transferring over to Taco Bell, the place he launched the chain’s Stay Mas tagline and Doritos Loco Tacos.
When Creed transitioned from Taco Bell CEO to chief government of Yum, Niccol took over his vacated function as head of the Mexican-inspired chain. Niccol left in 2018 to guide a turnaround at Chipotle, the place he stayed for greater than six years earlier than Starbucks lured him away for an additional fix-up job.
Whereas the espresso large remains to be reporting same-store sales declines, Niccol stated throughout the firm’s earnings convention name final week that the comeback is forward of schedule.
Brian Niccol, incoming CEO of Starbucks.
Anjali Sundaram | CNBC
One other much-lauded restaurant CEO with Yum connections is Kevin Hochman, who at present leads Brinker International. He joined Yum in 2014 as chief advertising officer of KFC and ultimately rose to guide the U.S. companies of each the fried rooster chain and Pizza Hut. He left Yum in 2022 to revive Brinker, which owns Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy.
Underneath Hochman’s management, Chili’s has develop into the uncommon restaurant chain reporting double-digit same-store sales growth for a number of quarters. Savvy value-focused promoting and the viral Triple Dippers appetizer providing have helped the once-sleepy chain develop into a eating vacation spot but once more. Since Hochman took the reins of Brinker, the inventory has greater than quintupled in worth.
Like Niccol, Hochman additionally started his profession at P&G, which has additionally lengthy been recognized for its corporate leadership training. So did Arby’s President David Graves, who then spent eight years at Yum studying the ins and outs of the restaurant {industry} earlier than leaping ship for the Encourage Manufacturers sandwich chain.
For some Yum alumni, the inner competitors for the highest job implies that they’ve to depart to take the following step of their careers. With three international restaurant chains beneath the broader Yum umbrella, the race to the highest may be stiff.
“These firms have a lot high-performing expertise as a result of they’re so giant, there’s so many divisions, however there can solely be one CEO of Yum Manufacturers,” Lockyer stated.
That is additionally true for its manufacturers, which might have advertising, operations, home and worldwide executives all competing for the highest spot.
Julie Felss Masino joined Yum as president of Taco Bell North America in 2018, following roles at Starbucks, Sprinkle Cupcakes and Mattel. Two years later, she grew to become head of Taco Bell’s rising worldwide enterprise. Though she was positioned as a possible candidate to guide Taco Bell as CEO, she left the chain in June 2023, the identical month that Taco Bell’s then-CEO Mark King introduced his intent to retire and Yum tapped Sean Tresvant to succeed him. Two months later, Cracker Barrel introduced Masino as its rollout CEO.
Extra lately, Dave & Buster’s tapped Tarun Lal final month to guide the corporate after a months-long search that started even earlier than his predecessor departed in December. The restaurant and arcade chain has seen its gross sales slide in latest months as low-income shoppers spend much less on eating out. Lal beforehand served as president of KFC U.S., which has had its personal struggles successful over diners in latest months.
The outside of a Dave & Buster’s restaurant is seen on June 10, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Brandon Bell | Getty Photographs
When Dave & Buster’s introduced Lal as its choose, BMO Capital Markets analyst Andrew Strelzik wrote in a observe to purchasers that he was “stunned” the chain went for a restaurant operator over an amusement-industry veteran. However Lal’s resume — together with greater than twenty years of expertise throughout Yum’s worldwide enterprise — probably received over the board.
“Given execution points the board has cited from prior CEO, it probably was on the lookout for extra of an operations background. Lal has run the ~4,000-unit KFC U.S. since 2022 and beforehand oversaw ~20,000 international items as KFC COO,” Strelzik stated.
Yum veterans aren’t discovered solely within the restaurant {industry}. Harley-Davidson on Monday introduced Artie Starrs because the motorbike firm’s rollout CEO.
Starrs is departing his function as chief government of “eatertainment” chain Topgolf to take the brand new job. Previous to Topgolf, he served as Pizza Hut International CEO.
Yum can also be present process its personal CEO transition. In October, CFO Chris Turner will take the reins from David Gibbs, who plans to retire after 37 years with the corporate. The hand-off may imply an even bigger shakeup forward for Yum’s government ranks if different prime executives like Chief Working Officer Tracy Skeans, for instance, resolve to look externally for his or her subsequent strikes.