Yum Brands operating chief Tracy Skeans to retire

Yum Brands has announced that its chief operating officer and chief people and culture officer Tracy Skeans will retire after more than 25 years with the company.

Skeans will remain in her current role until late this year, when she will move into an advisory position. 

She joined the firm in 2000 as a finance analyst, and  later held senior finance and personnel roles at Pizza Hut before becoming president of Pizza Hut International, where she oversaw operations across more than 85 countries.

Skeans joined the parent company executive leadership team in 2016 as chief transformation and people officer. 

In this role, she helped manage the transition to a pure-play franchisor and guided the firm through the pandemic.

The company is now working to fill her responsibilities, which will be divided between its next chief people and culture officer and a newly created chief scale officer.

Yum Brands operates more than 63,000 restaurants across 155 countries. Its portfolio includes the KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger and Grill brands.

Chris Turner, chief executive, said: “Over a remarkable 25-year career at Yum!, Tracy has been instrumental in shaping the company’s operational excellence model, culture, talent and long-term growth strategy. She spent more than a decade leading and growing the Pizza Hut business, ultimately serving as president of Pizza Hut International before joining the Yum! Brands executive leadership team.”

Skeans added: “Yum! has been a defining part of my career for more than 25 years, and I’m proud to have helped shape the company through some of its most important moments of growth and transformation. 

“Together with the leadership team, franchisees and colleagues around the world, we’ve strengthened the business, advanced the capabilities that support our global system and reinforced a culture that makes Yum! such a special place. I look forward to supporting a seamless transition and the company’s continued success.”