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Yum! Brands, Inc.

Quick-Service RestaurantsFounded 1997
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Founders

Who Founded Yum! Brands?

Andrall E. Pearson, David C. Novak · Founded 1997 · HQ today: Louisville, Kentucky, United States

Who founded Yum! Brands?

Yum! Brands was founded by Andrall E. Pearson, David C. Novak in 1997. It is now led by Chris Turner.

Founders
Andrall E. Pearson, David C. Novak
Founded
1997
Headquarters
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Number of founders
2
Current CEO
Chris Turner (since 2025)
Where was Yum! Brands founded?
Yum! Brands was founded in Louisville, Kentucky, United States in 1997.
When was Yum! Brands founded?
Yum! Brands was founded in 1997.
Who started Yum! Brands?
Yum! Brands was founded by Andrall E. Pearson and David C. Novak.
How old is Yum! Brands?
Yum! Brands is 29 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Yum! Brands originated as Tricon Global Restaurants, a corporate spin-off from PepsiCo in 1997. PepsiCo had spent decades acquiring massive fast-food chains—Pizza Hut in 1977, Taco Bell in 1978, and KFC in 1986—to guarantee distribution for its beverages. Recognizing that managing restaurants was fundamentally different from selling packaged goods, PepsiCo spun off the restaurant division into a separate, independent, publicly traded entity under the leadership of David Novak and Andrall Pearson.

Andrall E. Pearson

Co-founder 1997

Background

Former president of PepsiCo and a tenured professor at Harvard Business School.

Role at Yum! Brands, Inc.

Andrall E. Pearson (1925-2006) served as the founding Chairman and CEO of Tricon Global Restaurants (now Yum! Brands) following its massive spin-off from PepsiCo in 1997. He brought strict corporate discipline and operational focus to the struggling fast-food portfolio, establishing the aggressive franchise model that allowed the brands to expand globally without massive capital expenditure. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

David C. Novak

Co-founder 1997

Background

Marketing executive who rose through the ranks at PepsiCo and served as President of KFC and Pizza Hut.

Role at Yum! Brands, Inc.

David C. Novak (born 1952) was the co-founder and long-time CEO of Yum! Brands. He is credited with fostering a highly distinct corporate culture focused on employee recognition and aggressive international expansion. Under his leadership, Yum! rapidly penetrated the Chinese market, making KFC the most dominant Western fast-food chain in China.

David C. Novak was born in 1953 in Beeville. Education: University of Missouri.

David Charles Novak was born on October 30, 1952. He is also an author and philanthropist and founded David Novak Leadership, where he is chief executive.

Yum! Brands, Inc.: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Chris Turner

Chief Executive Officer

2025 – Present

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.

Ranjith Roy

Chief Financial Officer

2025 – Present

As a regional finance executive, he manages the critical franchise economics that allow KFC and Pizza Hut to penetrate saturated Western European markets profitably.

David Gibbs

Former Chief Executive Officer

2020 – 2025

A Yum and PepsiCo restaurant veteran since 1989, Gibbs was CEO from January 2020 until Turner succeeded him on October 1, 2025.

David C. Novak

Chief Executive Officer

1999 – 2015

David C. Novak served as chief executive of Yum! Brands, Inc. from 1999 to 2015.

Compare Yum! Brands, Inc. Leadership With Competitors

Yum! Brands, Inc. vs Wingstop Inc. Leadership →Overview

Keep researching Yum! Brands

Who Founded Yum! Brands? FAQ

Who was Colonel Harland Sanders and how did he found KFC?

Colonel Harland Sanders began frying chicken for travelers at his Corbin, Kentucky service station in 1930, perfecting his 11 herbs and spices recipe before franchising Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1952.

Who founded Pizza Hut and how did it start?

Brothers Dan and Frank Carney, students at Wichita State University, borrowed $600 from their mother to open the first Pizza Hut in Wichita, Kansas in 1958, growing it into the world's largest pizza chain.

Who was Glen Bell and how did he create Taco Bell?

Glen Bell operated hot dog and hamburger stands in San Bernardino, California, before mastering hard-shell crispy tacos and opening the first Taco Bell restaurant in Downey, California in 1962.

Who was the corporate architect behind uniting these brands under Yum?

David Novak, along with PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico, orchestrated the bundling and 1997 spinoff of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell from PepsiCo into Tricon Global Restaurants (later Yum! Brands).

Why did PepsiCo initially buy KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell in the 1970s and 1980s?

PepsiCo acquired the restaurant chains to create guaranteed, captive high-volume fountain beverage pouring rights to compete against Coca-Cola's dominance in commercial dining.

Why did PepsiCo ultimately decide to spin off its restaurant division?

PepsiCo spun off the restaurant chains in 1997 because restaurant operations required high capital intensity, depressed corporate return on invested capital, and alienated non-Pepsi restaurant clients.

What is the historical significance of Colonel Sanders' relationship with KFC?

Sanders sold KFC to investors in 1964 for $2 million but remained its goodwill ambassador; his likeness remains one of the world's most recognized brand trademarks across the globe.

Did the original restaurant founders maintain ties to Yum! Brands?

While the original culinary founders passed away or sold out decades earlier, Yum! Brands honors their original recipes and heritage in global branding and museum archives.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.