Yum! Brands tapped Chris Turner to be its next CEO, effective October 1, 2025. Turner, who currently serves as the chief financial officer for the multiconcept operator, will replace David Gibbs who announced his plans to retire earlier this year.

Chris TurnerTurner has served as Yum! Brands’ CFO since 2019 and expanded his role to include chief franchise officer in 2024. In a release announcing this leadership transition, Yum! listed some of Turner’s accomplishments, including “accelerating the company’s digital and technology transformation through initiatives like the establishment of Byte by Yum!, an AI-driven restaurant technology platform; launching a centralized, global Supply Chain Center of Excellence; and the creation of Saucy by KFC,” the company’s latest restaurant concept.

Prior to joining Yum! Brands, Turner led PepsiCo’s retail and e-commerce business with Walmart in the U.S. and more than 25 countries. Turner also spent more than 13 years with McKinsey & Co., where he served as partner in the firm’s Dallas office and led the Service Operations practice in North America, the Restaurant Service Line, the Retail Operations team and recruiting for all Southern U.S. offices.

Gibbs has been with Yum! for 37 years and was appointed CEO in January of 2020. He will remain CEO until September 30, 2025, and will serve as an adviser to the company until the end of 2026 to ensure a seamless transition, the release added.