KFC U.S. announced that it promoted Heather McCoy to Chief People Officer, and Ryan Koon to Chief Development Officer.
McCoy comes to KFC U.S. from Taco Bell U.S. where she spent the last three years, most recently serving as Vice President of Human Resources. Under her leadership, Taco Bell changed its Field Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) approach and led the evolution of the team member experience in the restaurants.
Koon has been with Yum! Brands for 12 years in various financial planning and development roles. He most recently served as Chief Financial and Development Officer of KFC South Pacific (SOPAC), where he led the market to achieve record new unit growth and accelerated its digital strategy with increased kiosk penetration. In his new role, Ryan will oversee new restaurant development, existing restaurant redevelopment, and asset design for the U.S.
Koon will succeed Ben Dubost who has served as Chief Development Officer for KFC U.S. since 2022. Dubost has been promoted to General Manager of KFC Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey business unit, which includes the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Additionally, Vijay Sukumar, Chief Food Innovation Officer (CFIO), will be retiring from KFC U.S., effective June 30. Sukumar first joined Yum! India in 2008, where he held the Chief Food Innovation Officer role for KFC and Pizza Hut businesses and helped bring Taco Bell to India in 2010. He moved to the KFC U.S. team in 2015 as CFIO.
With Sukumar’s retirement, Nick Chavez, Chief Marketing Officer for KFC U.S., will begin to oversee food innovation and commercialization, aligning new product innovation efforts across the organization.
