Yum! Brands promoted Sabir Sami, to KFC Division CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2022. Sami, a 12-year company veteran, currently serves as chief operating officer and managing director of KFC Asia. He will succeed Tony Lowings, who is stepping down as CEO at the end of 2021 in advance of his retirement in early 2022, per a company release announcing this transition.

Yum! Brands will also promote Dyke Shipp to KFC Division president, effective January 1, 2022. He currently serves as KFC Division chief development officer and chief people officer. Shipp has been with the company for more than 30 years.

Sami’s tenure with KFC also includes serving as managing director for the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey markets and as general manager for the KFC Canada and Turkey businesses. Prior to Yum!, Sami served in various leadership roles at Procter & Gamble, the Coca-Cola Company and Reckitt Benckiser.

Lowings has been with Yum! Brands and KFC for more than 27 years, leading the KFC brand since 2019. He has held a number of leadership positions including president and chief operations officer of KFC Division, managing director of KFC Asia-Pacific and managing director of KFC SOPAC (Australia and New Zealand), among others. Lowings remains KFC Division CEO through the end of 2021. He will remain with the company in another capacity supporting transition needs into the first quarter of 2022.