Meet an Inspirational KFC Woman: Lucy Taylor

At KFC, we are marking International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month by celebrating the thousands of women across our business who inspire and motivate us to be our best selves, make a difference, and have fun. Over the course of the month, we will be sharing profiles of a (very) small sampling of these inspirational KFC women. Today, we introduce you to Lucy Taylor.

What is your role?

I am the Chief Operations Officer for KFC MENAPakT, so the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey. I am responsible for 14 countries making sure that we are looking after our restaurant teams, keeping the operation as easy as we can to ensure that they can deliver hot, fresh, fast and of course super tasty KFC every shift, every day

What women have inspired you?

I get inspired every single day by our teams in the field. Almost every team member I speak to has an amazing story, chief amongst these are some of the amazing women I come across in the MENAPakT region, like the lady I spoke with who now has the financial and personal freedom to follow her dreams as she has become a delivery driver at KFC. It’s practically impossible to come away from these conversations without at least one great idea, or one hope to do better, or determination to challenge myself or others in a different way.
 
In the past I have been influenced by many strong, brave and generous women, my grandmother being the first that springs to mind. During World War II, at a time when many women and men showed bravery above comprehension, my grandmother was awarded the ‘Queens Commendation for Brave Conduct’ as a young woman for saving the life of a young American airman who crashed into a field in Norfolk whilst she and her friend tended crops. Both girls showed great disregard for their own safety and pulled the airman from the burning airplane and went to get help, then soon after dusted themselves off to return to work in the fields.

What does International Women’s day mean to you?

I feel extremely privileged to have lived a life with great female role models, with my family of course but also with my female friends, all through my career with female colleagues and mentors, and now with my young daughter Alexandra. So, to answer your question what does International Women’s Day mean to me, I think about how these women then and now have influenced the person I am today, how their struggles, their ambitions, their love and generosity of spirit, is something so precious, so worthy of celebration, that we need to protect it with all the energy we can muster. I cannot overstate the sense of fun that I encounter when out in the field e.g. welcoming customers with a song, or handing out flowers, the love is palpable, and often coming from our women.