Kentucky Fried Chicken has named Thuthuka Nxumalo as chief operations officer for KFC U.S., effective February 5, 2024. Reporting to Tarun Lal, president of KFC U.S., Nxumalo will lead the development of a world-class operations strategy for consistent execution across all KFC U.S. restaurants.
Lal expressed confidence in Nxumalo's ability to drive operational best practices and deliver an exceptional guest experience. Nxumalo, previously chief operations officer at KFC Africa, brings a successful track record of improving key operations metrics. His experience includes nearly four years with Anheuser-Busch InBev and over 15 years with SABMiller and South African Breweries.
In addition to Nxumalo's appointment, Christophe Poirier will join KFC U.S. as chief new concept officer on February 1, 2024, focusing on modernizing the KFC concept. Poirier, with a background at Yum! Brands since 2005 and recent experience at Pizza Hut, will report to Lal.