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She replaces Tarun Lal, who has announced his retirement and has served as president since June 2022
Catherine Tan-Gillespie has been named president of KFC U.S., effective April 1. She replaces Tarun Lal, who has announced his retirement and who was named president in June 2022 after serving as managing director of KFC Middle East, Pakistan, Turkey, Africa and India.
Tan-Gillespie was named KFC U.S.’s chief marketing officer and chief development officer in August. Prior, she served as president and general manager of KFC Canada. In her new role, she will report to Scott Mezvinsky, who was named KFC Division chief executive officer last month.
“Catherine is a well-respected, transformational leader with steep experience across operations, development and marketing as well as a track record for brand building and delivering high impact results,” Mezvinsky said in a statement. “She is passionate about the brand and an ideal choice to lead the KFC U.S. business as we continue to evolve to better serve our guests.”
Tan-Gillespie joined KFC in 2015 as CMO for the South Pacific region, then moved on to serve as KFC Global CMO. During her time at KFC Canada, she accelerated restaurant upgrades, enhanced digital ordering, created effective value deals, and launched award-winning advertising, the company said.
"I am deeply honored and excited to step into the role of President of KFC U.S.," said Tan-Gillespie. "Having been part of the KFC team across the globe for almost a decade, I have developed a profound love for our brand and a deep appreciation for the dedication and passion of our franchise partners. I look forward to continuing our journey together, driving innovation and growth, and ensuring we deliver the best experience for our guests every day."
This change comes as KFC U.S. has largely struggled throughout the past several quarters. In Q2 and Q4 2024, same-store sales were down 5%, following a -7% performance in Q1. For the full year, same-store sales were down 5%. According to Technomic data, KFC finished 2023 with a 1.7% sales increase year-over-year, compared to 4.9% at Church’s Texas Chicken, 10% at Bojangles, 10.2% at Popeyes, and 14.7% at Chick-fil-A. KFC’s footprint also shrunk by 3.2% in 2023, finishing the year with 3,791 locations.
Updates on the KFC U.S. CMO and CDO roles will come at a later date.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
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