Yum! Brands announced the appointments of Annie Young-Scrivner, Chief Executive Officer of GODIVA Chocolatier, and Keith Barr, Chief Executive Officer of InterContinental Hotels Group, to its Board as non-executive directors, effective January 24.
“Annie and Keith have both demonstrated strong global leadership experience and bring proven track records in driving performance and innovation for well-known brands, making them excellent additions to the Yum! Brands Board,” says Brian Cornell, Non-Executive Chairman of the Yum! Brands Board of Directors and Chairman and CEO of Target Corporation. “We’re pleased that Annie and Keith will be joining us as Yum! Brands begins its next exciting chapter of global growth.”
“As CEO of GODIVA, Annie has deep experience in global brand-building and market development, and we look forward to the consumer insights and best practices she will bring as we focus on building relevant, easy and distinctive brands that help us deliver more value for franchisees and shareholders,” says David Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer, Yum! Brands. “Annie also brings a wealth of knowledge around digital engagement with consumers, which will be beneficial as we continue to advance the customer experience with technology at the forefront.”
Gibbs continues, “Keith runs a diverse, industry-leading portfolio of hotel brands and is hyper focused on the customer experience and value creation for owners and operators in more than 100 countries. His responsibilities as CEO of IHG, combined with the company’s highly franchised model and focus on building global scale, will allow Keith to make invaluable contributions to the Yum! Board that will unlock growth and benefit our shareholders.”
Young-Scrivner has served as CEO of GODIVA Chocolatier, the global leader in premium, artisanal chocolate, since September 2017. Prior to joining GODIVA, she served in a variety of senior executive roles at Starbucks Corporation since 2009, including Executive Vice President, Global Digital & Loyalty Development; President, Teavana & Executive Vice President of Global Tea; President of Starbucks Canada; and Global Chief Marketing Officer & President of Tazo Tea. Prior to her time at Starbucks, Young-Scrivner spent 19 years at PepsiCo, serving in senior leadership positions in sales, marketing and general management including CMO and Head of Sales for Quaker Foods and Snacks Division; Chairman and Region President of PepsiCo Foods Greater China; and Vice President and General Manager of PepsiCo’s Target team.
In addition to her current duties as CEO, Young-Scrivner serves on the Board of Directors of Tiffany & Co., and has served on the board of Macy’s, Inc. Young-Scrivner holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Foster School of Business, University of Washington, and an Executive MBA from the Carlson School of Business, University of Minnesota. She has also had executive education training at Yale School of Management, IMD in Switzerland, and the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia.
Barr has served as CEO of IHG, a global organization that predominately franchises and manages nearly 5,800 hotels and whose brands include InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, the Holiday Inn Brand Family and Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, since July 2017. He has spent more than 25 years working in the hospitality industry having started his career in hotel operations. Barr joined IHG in 2000 and subsequently held a number of senior positions in its Americas and Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) regions. He has been a member of IHG’s Executive Committee since April 2011 at which time he was serving as CEO of IHG’s Greater China business. He was then appointed Chief Commercial Officer for four years where he led IHG’s global brand, loyalty, sales and marketing functions, driving consistent brand strategies and leveraging IHG’s scale and systems to deliver industry outperformance.
Prior to joining IHG, Barr held several senior positions at Bristol Hotels and Resorts. Barr serves on the Board of IHG and sits on the International Advisory Board of EHL. He is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. Barr is currently a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the School of Hotel Administration, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.
