Graves Will Succeed Interim President Kevin Hochman, Who Is Resuming Full-Time Leadership of KFC U.S.
PLANO, TX, October 6, 2021 – Pizza Hut today announced the promotion of David Graves to President of Pizza Hut U.S., reporting to Pizza Hut Division Chief Executive Officer Aaron Powell, effective January 1, 2022. Graves currently serves as General Manager Pizza Hut U.S. and will succeed Interim President Pizza Hut U.S. Kevin Hochman. In this role, Graves will continue to build on Pizza Hut‘s momentum and assume responsibility for driving profitable same-store sales, franchise operations and overall performance for the U.S. business.
“David has a well-deserved reputation for delivering results, repeatedly demonstrating his expertise in identifying solutions to business challenges that not only enhance the experience for customers, but also benefit restaurant economics, and I couldn‘t be more pleased by his promotion,” said Powell. “The Pizza Hut U.S. strategy is strong, and the leadership and talent of this team is extraordinary. I‘m confident that we‘ll continue to see positive growth of this iconic brand in the years ahead,” said Powell.
With Graves‘ appointment, Interim President Pizza Hut U.S. Kevin Hochman, who dually serves as President and Chief Concept Officer KFC U.S., will resume full-time leadership of KFC U.S., starting January 1, 2022. Having served in an interim role at Pizza Hut U.S. since late 2019, Hochman was brought on board to help strengthen the Pizza Hut U.S. business and accelerate innovation while continuing to lead a thriving KFC U.S. brand. Under Hochman‘s and Graves‘ leadership and in partnership with its franchisees, Pizza Hut U.S. has delivered product innovation, sustained sales improvement and continued to invest in its off-premise channel in response to shifting consumer demand.
“Kevin has delivered in a really meaningful and significant way, and I can‘t thank him enough for his commitment and collaboration over the last two years leading two of our iconic brands in the U.S.,” said David Gibbs, Yum! Brands CEO. “We‘re really pleased with Pizza Hut‘s continued brand revitalization and transformation to a modern off-premise business in the U.S. I have all the confidence in David Graves – who has done an amazing job reinvigorating Pizza Hut‘s innovation pipeline and bringing the brand forward to consumers in a way that‘s really resonating – and believe Pizza Hut has an incredibly bright future.”
Since joining Pizza Hut in early 2020 as Chief Brand Officer, and most recently as General Manager, Graves has played a critical role in the development and continued execution of Pizza Hut‘s turnaround strategy in the U.S. Prior to joining Pizza Hut, Graves spent several years at KFC U.S. leading marketing strategy and was responsible for much of the food innovation credited in KFC‘s turnaround. Prior to joining Yum! in 2016, Graves spent much of his career at Procter & Gamble, where he led innovation and insights for several large brands in the consumer packaged goods space.
“I‘m grateful to have worked alongside Kevin the past two years at Pizza Hut and before that, at KFC, and am honored to step into this role, leading one of America‘s iconic brands,” said Graves. “In partnership with our franchisees and the Pizza Hut leadership team, I‘m excited to build on our recent momentum and help guide this brand into the future.”
“The opportunity to work on the Pizza Hut brand alongside this team has been an incredible experience. It‘s gratifying to see the strategy working that we put in place nearly two years ago, highlighted by an improvement in four-wall economics,” said Hochman. “David is a proven leader and an accomplished brand builder, and I can‘t think of a better person to pass the torch to that ensures a seamless transition and continued success for the Pizza Hut U.S. business.”
About Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kan., Pizza Hut operates nearly 18,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. With easy order options including the Pizza Hut app, mobile site, and Amazon and Google devices, Pizza Hut is committed to providing an easy pizza experience – from order to delivery – and has Hut Rewards, the Pizza Hut loyalty program that offers points for every dollar spent on food any way you order.
Now more than ever, restaurants have an important role in helping to safely feed families. As one of the largest pizza brands in the world by store count, Pizza Hut is committed to doing its part. To help keep team members and customers safe, customers can get their favorite Pizza Hut pizza via three contactless offerings: curbside pickup, delivery, or carryout. After becoming the first national pizza brand to offer Contactless Curbside Pickup, Pizza Hut launched The Hut Lane™, a dedicated digital order pick-up window available at more than 1,500 locations across the country.
Pizza Hut is also the proprietor of The Literacy Project, an initiative designed to enable access, empower teachers and inspire a lifelong love of reading. The program is rooted in the foundation set by the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program, which is the longest-running corporate supported literacy program, impacting more than 14 million students each year. Pizza Hut is the Official and Only Pizza Sponsor of the NFL® and NCAA®.
For more information about Pizza Hut, visit www.pizzahut.com or http://www.pizzahut.com/c/content/sitemap
