Dive Brief:
- KFC has hired Jonathan Ojany as CFO for KFC U.S., effective May 1, the company announced Thursday.
- Ojany previously worked at The Coca-Cola Company for eight years in various leadership positions based in Africa and the U.S. He most recently served as VP and head of center strategy and operations.
- Ojany joins the chicken chain less than a year after the company appointed Tarun Lal as its U.S. president, who will be Ojany’s boss.
Dive Insight:
KFC has undergone a few leadership changes within the last six months. In October, three executives who had extensive experience at the company — its CFO, COO and national field operations director — left following inflationary impacts to their pension fund. In December, KFC U.S. brought on a new chief development officer and chief legal officer.
Ojany brings extensive geographic, industry and function and franchise expertise into his new role, the company said. At KFC U.S., he will be responsible for “finance activities and plans designed to achieve growth, revenue and profit targets,” the company said.
KFC U.S. ended 2022 with 2% same-store growth in the fourth quarter, according to an earnings release. Last month, it added chicken nuggets to its menu as a permanent item to help boost sales, which were virtually flat for all of 2022.
In his most recent Coca-Cola role, Ojany led several global initiatives, many of which were with the company’s franchise bottling partners. Additional roles at Coca-Cola included chief of staff to the global president; chief operating officer; and head of strategy, planning, insights and analytics in Africa. Prior to Coca-Cola, Ojany worked for two years with Intercontinental Hotels Group as director of global strategy and planning, and five years at McKinsey and Company.
“With his extensive strategic and financial acumen and proven reputation for building and inspiring teams, I am confident Jonathan is the right leader for our Finance function and to help achieve our bold vision for the KFC brand in the U.S.,” Lal said in a statement.
