KFC® U.S. NAMES THUTHUKA NXUMALO CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

Louisville, Ky., January 12, 2024 – Kentucky Fried Chicken® (KFC) announced today that it has named Thuthuka Nxumalo Chief Operations Officer for KFC U.S., effective February 5, 2024. He will report to Tarun Lal, president of KFC U.S.

In this role, Nxumalo will be responsible for building a world-class operations strategy and enabling consistent execution in every KFC U.S. restaurant. 

“Thuthuka is a seasoned operator with a proven track record of driving operational best practices,” said Lal. “With his ability to identify opportunities for rapid improvements and rally teams to provide exceptional service, I am confident Thuthuka is the right leader to drive a winning guest experience for KFC U.S.”

Nxumalo joins KFC U.S. from KFC Africa, where he spent the past three years as chief operations officer. During this period, he drove remarkable improvements in key operations metrics across KFC in Africa.

Prior to KFC, Nxumalo was with Anheuser-Busch InBev for nearly four years as Brewery Operations Director for South Africa. Before that, he spent more than 15 years with SABMiller and South African Breweries in various roles. Nxumalo has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cape Town University and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

In addition to Nxumalo’s appointment, Christophe Poirier will join KFC U.S. as Chief New Concept Officer, on February 1, 2024, reporting to Lal. Poirier will work to continue to modernize the KFC concept in collaboration with the current leadership team. He has been with Yum! Brands since 2005 and spent the last eight years with Pizza Hut, most recently as global chief brand officer.

About KFC

KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., has been serving joy through its Original Recipe® fried chicken and finger lickin' good food since 1952. KFC's Original Recipe represents the unmistakable taste of KFC – the top-secret, unique blend of 11 herbs & spices that was perfected by Colonel Harland Sanders and is still used today. Beyond bucket meals and homestyle sides, KFC specialties include KFC Chicken Nuggets, the KFC Chicken Sandwich in spicy and classic, Extra Crispy™ Tenders, KFC Famous Bowls®, KFC Mac & Cheese Bowls, Pot Pies and Secret Recipe Fries. There are over 29,000 KFC restaurants in nearly 150 countries and territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE:  YUM). For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.