Yum! Brands has appointed Chris Turner as its next CEO, signaling a sharper focus on digital growth and ecommerce strategy at one of the world’s largest fast-food companies.
Chris Turner, incoming CEO, Yum! Brands
Turner, 50, currently serves as chief financial and franchise officer and will succeed longtime CEO David Gibbs on Oct. 1. Gibbs has been with Yum for nearly four decades. He will remain in an advisory role through 2026.
Yum! Brands is the parent company to KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger.
New Yum CEO
The CEO change comes as Yum seeks to deepen its investment in technology, data, and digital ordering. Turner has been instrumental in shaping the company’s tech-forward strategy, including initiatives like Byte by Yum!, an AI-powered restaurant tech platform, and Saucy by KFC, a new digital-first restaurant model.
“Chris has demonstrated deep knowledge of our business, strong values, and a clear commitment to our growth,” Gibbs said in a statement. “I can’t think of a better person to guide Yum! into its next chapter.”
Before joining Yum in 2019, Turner led PepsiCo’s global ecommerce and retail business with Walmart across 25 countries and held senior roles at McKinsey & Company. His experience in digital transformation and supply chain operations aligns with Yum’s push to modernize its 61,000-unit global footprint.
Under Turner’s oversight, Yum reported more than $30 billion in digital sales in 2024, with over half of all transactions coming through digital channels.
“We’ll continue to innovate, grow our brands, and create distinctive experiences for customers around the world,” Turner said.
The transition comes during a period of robust growth for Yum, which has tripled its pace of net new restaurant openings under Gibbs’ leadership.
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