The current CEO of KFC is Tony Lowings. He began his career at KFC in 1994, as a planning director. From there, he ran the KFC New South Wales market and, soon after, he landed the role of General Manager of KFC and Pizza Hut in Australia and New Zealand.
However, he soon experienced a real culture shock, as Yum! asked him to move to Miami to oversee the Latin American market for KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silvers and A&W. While the US wasn’t too far from home, working in South America required him to approach management in new and different ways.
Since then, he has held positions including Managing Director of Asia-Pacific and President and COO of KFC.
Tony Lowings’ 24-year history with Yum! Brands and his loyalty to the company has been rewarded with one of the organisation’s top roles. On the 1st January 2019, he took over as KFC CEO and led the fast food giant into a new era. Fortunately, Lowing’s history meant he was adequately prepared, having held a variety of positions before his time at the company.
KFC was first introduced into Britain in 1965, with the first store opening in Preston. It has since expanded to over 890 locations. The UK KFC restaurants are at such an excellent standard that the UK is the training base for many of the new restaurants operating throughout Europe.
Over the past 10 years, its sales have almost doubled, now averaging over £1 billion a year. KFC strives to soon have over 1,000 stores selling delicious, succulent fried chicken in the UK.
KFC is a subsidiary of a parent company known as Yum! Brands. Yum! acquired the chicken business in 1997 and has run it alongside many other world-famous brands. These include Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. In fact, Yum! operates approximately 48,124 restaurants in more than 145 countries, making it the largest fast food restaurant company in the world by units.
As well as offering a diverse menu of tasty food, KFC is also keen to give back to the local community and have a positive impact on the economy. The KFC Add Hope foundation donates to charities that support vulnerable children’s educational development. The charity strives to help them achieve their potential in a supportive and nurturing environment.
