Meet an Inspirational KFC Woman: Paula MacKenzie

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 have been sharing profiles of a (very) small sampling of these inspirational KFC women. Today, we introduce you to Paula MacKenzie.

What is your role at KFC?


I’m the General Manager of KFC in the UK & Ireland – so ultimately responsible for everything to do with our incredible people, brand & business on these shores; combined with a general role to further the thinking of KFC for the benefit of us all globally- a role we all have for whichever brand you work on.

What women have inspired you?


Too many and so many to list out. My mother had the biggest impact on me growing up and I def subscribe to “Here’s to strong women… may we know them, be them, raise them” and I am always SUPER grateful to her (& my father) that they raised two strong women in a home where being female was only that: a fact, not a barrier to anything. My sister is one of my closest people in the whole world and she inspires me.

So many of the women throughout our team inspire me with the leadership they show, the inner strength they have, the things they have had to overcome. I sponsor a little girl in Cambodia she inspires me with her drive to better things for her single parent family. And more recently, I’ve become a mentor for two female founder led businesses. Their entrepreneurial flair and drive to cut through when only 2.3% of ALL VC funds (source HBR: 2020) go to Women-led startups is impressive and motivates me to help them even more. And in the world of famous females, I never fail to take something from Brene Brown or Michelle Obama.

What does International Women's Day mean to you?


I like the focus, the solidarity, and the allyship it pulls together. That it really reminds us how far there is to go for women and men to have equal rights and equal opportunities. That it forces us to confront our biases and hopefully ask yourself some challenging questions about whether you are really doing everything that you can for your actions to be in sync with your words and reflect your values when it comes to equality. I know it has made me engage deeper with this topic than I ever thought I would. I used to shy away from ‘female focused anything’… and when I think about it now, I realize how many girls and women need us to do just the opposite; for us to engage with the topic entirely.