# Chris Turner

> Chris Turner is the chief executive officer and a board director of Yum! Brands, based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. An industrial engineering graduate and Stanford MBA, he worked at McKinsey and PepsiCo before joining Yum as CFO in 2019. His leadership connects franchise operations, restaurant technology and people development; he became CEO in October 2025 and led Yum through the completion of its Pizza Hut sale in 2026.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Yum! Brands
- **Organizations:** Yum! Brands, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay North America, McKinsey & Company, Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), Walmart, Academy Sports and Outdoors (former director)
- **From:** Stuttgart, Arkansas, United States
- **Education:** DeWitt High School, Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, University of Arkansas, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Appointed CEO and board director of Yum! Brands effective October 1, 2025., Helped develop Byte by Yum!, introduced in February 2025., Helped establish Yum’s global Supply Chain Center of Excellence.

## Career timeline

- **1996-1997** — Logistics analyst at Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas.
- **1997-2000** — Consultant at Andersen Consulting, now Accenture, in Dallas.
- **2002-2016** — Worked at McKinsey & Company; progressed from associate to partner and led service and retail operations work.
- **2016-2017** — Senior vice president of strategy, then transformation, at Frito-Lay North America.
- **2017-2019** — Senior vice president and general manager of PepsiCo’s Global Walmart Service Team.
- **2019-08** — Became chief financial officer of Yum! Brands.
- **2024-11** — Added chief franchise officer responsibilities.
- **2025-10-01** — Became chief executive officer and a director of Yum! Brands.
- **2026-09-01** — Yum completed its sale of Pizza Hut outside mainland China, completing the global divestiture following the China transaction in August.

## Achievements

- Appointed CEO and board director of Yum! Brands effective October 1, 2025.
- Helped develop Byte by Yum!, introduced in February 2025.
- Helped establish Yum’s global Supply Chain Center of Excellence.
- Led PepsiCo’s Walmart retail and e-commerce business across the United States and more than 25 international markets.
- Led Yum through completion of the Pizza Hut divestiture in 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Yum completed the Pizza Hut sale outside mainland China to LongRange Capital on September 1, following the mainland China sale to Yum China on August 7. The remaining portfolio comprised KFC, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill.
- **2026-08** — Discussed his Arkansas upbringing, career transitions, franchise relationships and technology priorities in a Stanford GSB Alumni Voices interview published August 13.
- **2026-08** — Matt Waller published an interview on Turner’s mentors and leadership lessons on August 19.
- **2026-04** — Appeared on Yahoo Finance’s Opening Bid to discuss technology, consumer value and the then-pending Pizza Hut review.

## Links

- Website: https://www.yum.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lee-turner

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/chris-turner
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21