Yum! Brands, Inc.
Leadership History
3 leaders · 1999 to present
Chris Turner is the CEO of Yum! Brands, in the role since 2025. The first chief executive was David C. Novak, from 1999.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Turner | Chief Executive Officer | 2025 | Present | 1 |
| David Gibbs | Former Chief Executive Officer | 2020 | 2025 | 5 |
| David C. Novak | Chief Executive Officer | 1999 | 2015 | 16 |
Yum! Brands is a Louisville-based restaurant franchisor that owns KFC, Taco Bell, and Habit Burger & Grill. After selling Pizza Hut in 2026, its results depend mainly on KFC's international unit growth and Taco Bell's U.S. sales. The company is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.
Most Yum restaurants are owned and run by franchisees. Yum collects franchise and license fees (royalties tied to sales, plus upfront fees on new units), franchise contributions to advertising funds, rental income on some properties it subleases, and sales from a smaller set of company-operated restaurants, including most Habit locations. Because franchisees fund most store construction and employ most restaurant workers, Yum's own capital needs and headcount are small relative to system sales. Yum China, a separate listed company since the 2016 spin-off, operates KFC in mainland China under a license and pays Yum a royalty on sales. With Pizza Hut sold in 2026, the reporting portfolio now centers on the KFC and Taco Bell divisions plus Habit.
Chief Executive Officer
2025 – Present
1 year (current)
Led the 2026 portfolio review that ended with the $2.7 billion sale of Pizza Hut to Yum China and LongRange Capital.
Turner spent more than 13 years at McKinsey and later held senior roles at PepsiCo before joining Yum as CFO in 2019. He added chief franchise officer duties in 2024 and became CEO on October 1, 2025.
Former Chief Executive Officer
2020 – 2025
5 years
Led Yum through the pandemic and the 2020 Habit Burger Grill acquisition.
A Yum and PepsiCo restaurant veteran since 1989, Gibbs was CEO from January 2020 until Turner succeeded him on October 1, 2025.
Chief Executive Officer
1999 – 2015
16 years
David C. Novak served as chief executive of Yum! Brands, Inc. from 1999 to 2015.
These officers report to the chief executive and are not part of the CEO timeline above.
Taco Bell sales were hit by an industry-wide food safety issue from July 18, 2026, and management guided its third-quarter restaurant margins down to 19% to 21%; heavy reliance on franchisee profitability; food and labor cost inflation; value-driven competition in U.S. quick service; currency swings across international KFC markets.
David C. Novak served as the founding CEO of Tricon Global Restaurants and Yum! Brands from 1997 to 2015, architecting the PepsiCo spinoff, the global expansion, and the recognition culture.
Novak championed a high-performance culture documented in his book 'Taking People With You,' instilling recognition programs, building Yum China, and driving massive international store growth.
Greg Creed, who previously served as the transformative CEO of Taco Bell, became CEO of Yum! Brands in January 2015, leading the company through the Yum China spinoff and refranchising.
David Gibbs became CEO in January 2020 after serving as President, Chief Operating Officer, and CFO, guiding the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating digital tech adoption.
Gibbs joined Yum! Brands in 1989 in corporate development, serving as CFO of Yum, CEO of Pizza Hut US, and global president before earning the top executive position.
Gibbs orchestrated the acquisition of The Habit Burger Grill, acquired digital tech startups Kvantum and Dragontail Systems, and expanded digital sales past $30 billion systemwide.
Each brand operates under dedicated global brand CEOs: Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and The Habit Burger Grill, who report to Yum! Brands corporate executive management.
Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, CEO David Gibbs orchestrated the transfer and sale of all Russian KFC and Pizza Hut franchise rights and operations to local operators, exiting the market.
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