Dive Brief:
- Sean Tresvant, CEO of Taco Bell, has also been named Yum Brands’ chief consumer officer, as part of a series of C-suite changes at Yum as Chris Turner takes the reins from outgoing CEO David Gibbs on Oct. 1, the company said Tuesday.
- Jim Dausch, Pizza Hut’s global chief digital and technology officer, has been promoted to the same role, but for all of Yum Brands. Additionally, Dausch was named president of Byte by Yum, the chain’s in-house integrated technology platform.
- Ranjith Roy, formerly chief strategy officer and treasurer, has been promoted to Yum’s chief financial officer, succeeding Turner.
Dive Insight:
Turner has yet more planned for the C-suite, according to the press release. Yum will add a chief scale officer position focused on “leveraging Yum!’s scale to accelerate franchisee returns, maximize unit economics and drive restaurant profitability,” the company said.
The chief scale officer post, which has yet to be filled, “will oversee global functions including supply chain, franchise office, food safety and quality assurance and more.” Yum’s vast scale — upwards of 60,000 restaurants according to its most recent earnings release — makes such a post both daunting and vital.
Tresvant, who has led Taco Bell on a unique winning streak for an American QSR brand, will retain responsibility for the brand, which he has led since 2023. In his expanded role, he will be in charge of improving consumer insights, increasing brand relevance and bringing some of Taco Bell’s spark to other parts of Yum’s business.
Dausch is succeeding Joe Park, who is leaving Yum for other work. Turner said in a statement that Dausch’s position would focus on elevating the company’s digital infrastructure and increasing consumer personalization as Yum looks to expand its use of artificial intelligence.
On the company’s Q4 2024 earnings call, Turner noted that Pizza Hut U.S. transitioned to Byte’s digital ordering systems late last year and that the brand deployed a mobile coaching app that “simplifies routine audits and operations and is the scale platform we will use to deliver AI-driven recommendations to our team members.”
Roy, who joined Yum in 2024, will take over Turner’s old post and will be responsible for financial planning and strategy across the brands.
