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Restaurant Brands vs Yum! Brands: Founders, CEOs and History

Restaurant Brands was founded in 2014 by Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Herrmann Telles, Carlos Alberto Sicupira and is led by Joshua (Josh) Kobza. Yum! Brands was founded in 1997 by Andrall E. Pearson, David C. Novak and is led by Chris Turner.

Company facts

Restaurant Brands

Founded
2014
Headquarters
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Current CEO
Joshua (Josh) Kobza

Yum! Brands

Founded
1997
Headquarters
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Current CEO
Chris Turner
Employees
36,000

Founders

Restaurant Brands

  • Jorge Paulo Lemann

    Jorge Paulo Lemann is the absolute driving force behind 3G Capital. A legendary Brazilian billionaire, he orchestrated the massive, multi-billion dollar mergers that created AB InBev and Kraft Heinz.

  • Marcel Herrmann Telles

    Marcel Herrmann Telles is a core founding partner of 3G Capital alongside Lemann. Known for his absolute, fanatical obsession with operational efficiency and zero-based budgeting, he helped execute the ruthless cost-cutting strategies that initially skyrockete…

  • Carlos Alberto Sicupira

    Carlos Alberto Sicupira is the third core founding partner of 3G Capital. His massive financial expertise and aggressive deal-making heavily facilitated the massive debt structures required to acquire Tim Hortons and Popeyes, cementing RBI as a global fast-foo…

Restaurant Brands founders in full

Yum! Brands

  • Andrall E. Pearson

    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.

  • David C. Novak

    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.

Yum! Brands founders in full

CEOs and their tenures

Restaurant Brands

  1. Daniel Schwartz2013–2019

    Former Chief Executive Officer

    A 3G Capital partner who led Burger King and then RBI through the Tim Hortons combination and the 2017 Popeyes acquisition, later serving as co-chairman.

    Source
  2. Jose Cil2019–2023

    Former Chief Executive Officer

    Led RBI through the COVID-19 period, the 2019 Popeyes chicken sandwich launch, the 2021 Firehouse Subs acquisition and the start of Reclaim the Flame.

    Source
  3. Patrick Doyle2022–present

    Executive Chairman

    Focuses on franchisee economics, Burger King U.S. execution and capital allocation alongside CEO Josh Kobza.

    Source
  4. Joshua Kobza2023–present

    Chief Executive Officer

    Leads RBI's multi-brand strategy, including the Burger King U.S. turnaround, the 2024 Carrols acquisition and refranchising plan, the 2025 Burger King China joint venture with CPE, and the 2028 growth targets reaffirmed at Investor Day 2026.

    Source
  5. Sami Siddiqui2025–present

    Chief Financial Officer

    Oversees financial reporting, leverage and capital returns, including the roughly $1.6 billion 2026 shareholder return plan.

    Source
Restaurant Brands CEO history in full

Yum! Brands

  1. David C. Novak1999–2015

    Chief Executive Officer

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

    Source
  2. David Gibbs2020–2025

    Former Chief Executive Officer

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

    Source
  3. Chris Turner2025–present

    Chief Executive Officer

    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.

    Source
  4. Ranjith Roy2025–present

    Chief Financial Officer

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

    Source
Yum! Brands CEO history in full

Timeline: Restaurant Brands and Yum! Brands side by side

  1. 1954Restaurant Brands

    Burger King is founded

    James McLamore and David Edgerton founded Burger King in Miami, creating the flame-grilled burger brand later owned by RBI.

  2. 1964Restaurant Brands

    Tim Hortons begins

    Tim Horton and Ron Joyce built the Canadian coffee and quick-service brand that later became central to RBI.

  3. 1972Restaurant Brands

    Popeyes is founded

    Al Copeland opened the Louisiana-style chicken brand that RBI acquired in 2017.

  4. 1997Yum! Brands

    PepsiCo restaurant spin-off

    PepsiCo separated KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut into Tricon Global Restaurants.

  5. 2002Yum! Brands

    Renamed Yum! Brands

    Tricon adopted the Yum! Brands name.

  6. 2002Yum! Brands

    Long John Silver's and A&W Bought

    Yum bought Yorkshire Global Restaurants, owner of Long John Silver's and A&W, in 2002.

  7. 2011Yum! Brands

    Long John Silver's and A&W Sold

    Yum sold Long John Silver's and A&W in 2011.

  8. 2014Restaurant Brands

    Restaurant Brands International is formed

    Burger King and Tim Hortons combined to form Restaurant Brands International as a multi-brand quick-service restaurant platform.

  9. 2015Yum! Brands

    Greg Creed Becomes CEO

    Greg Creed became chief executive of Yum! Brands in January 2015.

  10. 2016Yum! Brands

    Yum China spin-off

    The mainland China business became Yum China Holdings, a separate public company.

  11. 2017Restaurant Brands

    Popeyes joins RBI

    RBI acquired Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, adding a global chicken growth platform.

  12. 2020Yum! Brands

    Habit Burger Grill acquired

    Yum added the fast-casual burger chain.

  13. 2021Restaurant Brands

    RBI agrees to acquire Firehouse Subs

    RBI announced the Firehouse Subs acquisition for $1.0 billion, adding a fourth brand to the platform.

  14. 2021Yum! Brands

    Acquired Dragontail Systems

    Yum! Brands acquired Dragontail Systems.

  15. 2021Yum! Brands

    Acquired Tictuk Technologies

    Yum! Brands acquired Tictuk Technologies.

  16. 2023Restaurant Brands

    Joshua Kobza becomes CEO

    Joshua Kobza became CEO effective March 1, 2023, succeeding Jose Cil.

  17. 2024Restaurant Brands

    Carrols acquisition closes

    Burger King completed the acquisition of Carrols Restaurant Group for about $1.0 billion to remodel and refranchise a large U.S. Burger King portfolio.

  18. 2025Restaurant Brands

    System-wide sales grow 5.3%

    RBI reported FY2025 total revenues of $9.434 billion and consolidated system-wide sales growth of 5.3%.

  19. 2025Restaurant Brands

    Burger King China joint venture announced

    RBI and CPE announced a China joint venture with $350 million of primary capital and a plan to grow Burger King China to more than 4,000 restaurants by 2035.

  20. 2025Yum! Brands

    Chris Turner becomes CEO

    Turner succeeded David Gibbs effective October 1, 2025.

  21. 2026Restaurant Brands

    Investor Day reaffirms 2028 targets

    RBI reaffirmed 8%+ organic AOI growth and 5%+ net restaurant growth by 2028.

  22. 2026Restaurant Brands

    Q2 2026: Burger King U.S. comps up 8.5%

    System-wide sales grew 6.4% and revenue rose 4.5% to about $2.52 billion.

  23. 2026Yum! Brands

    Pizza Hut sale completed

    Sales of Pizza Hut to Yum China (August 7) and LongRange Capital (early September) closed for $2.7 billion in total.

Acquisitions

Restaurant Brands

  • Carrols Restaurant Group2024$1B
  • Firehouse Subs2021$1B
  • Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen2017$1.8B
  • Tim Hortons combination2014$11.4B
All Restaurant Brands acquisitions

Yum! Brands

  • Dragontail Systems2021Undisclosed
  • Tictuk Technologies2021Undisclosed
  • The Habit Burger Grill2020$375M
All Yum! Brands acquisitions

Questions about Restaurant Brands vs Yum! Brands

Who is the CEO of Restaurant Brands International Inc. and Yum! Brands, Inc.?

Restaurant Brands International Inc. is led by Joshua (Josh) Kobza and Yum! Brands, Inc. is led by Chris Turner. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.

When was Restaurant Brands International Inc. founded vs Yum! Brands, Inc.?

Yum! Brands, Inc. was founded in 1997 — 17 years before Restaurant Brands International Inc., which was founded in 2014. Yum! Brands, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Restaurant Brands International Inc..

How many employees does Restaurant Brands International Inc. have compared to Yum! Brands, Inc.?

Yum! Brands, Inc. employs approximately 36,000 people. A verified employee count for Restaurant Brands International Inc. is not currently available.

Where are Restaurant Brands International Inc. and Yum! Brands, Inc. headquartered?

Restaurant Brands International Inc. is headquartered in Canada and Yum! Brands, Inc. is headquartered in United States. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.

Who founded Restaurant Brands International Inc. and Yum! Brands, Inc.?

Restaurant Brands International Inc. was founded by Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Herrmann Telles, Carlos Alberto Sicupira. Yum! Brands, Inc. was founded by Andrall E. Pearson, David C. Novak.

Which company has a longer operating history — Restaurant Brands International Inc. or Yum! Brands, Inc.?

Yum! Brands, Inc. has been operating for approximately 29 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has been in operation for around 12 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.

Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Restaurant Brands vs Yum! Brands overview

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.