Chris Turner

The parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell has hired PepsiCo executive Chris Turner as its new CFO, citing his experience with “iconic consumer-oriented companies.”

Yum Brands said Wednesday that Turner, 44, will join the company on Aug. 8, assuming global responsibility for finance, corporate strategy, supply chain, and information technology. His predecessor, David Gibbs, was named Yum’s president and chief operating officer earlier this year.

At PepsiCo, Turner was most recently senior vice president and general manager, leading the company’s retail and e-commerce business with Walmart in the U.S. and more than 25 other countries. He previously worked for McKinsey, the management consulting firm.

“Chris brings nearly 20 years of strategy, finance, M&A, and operations leadership to Yum Brands,” PepsiCo CEO Greg Creed said in a news release.

“We are confident that Chris’ commercial experience with iconic consumer-oriented companies, particularly across the quick-service restaurant and retail sectors, will prove instrumental as we drive global growth,” he added.

Gibbs noted that Turner has “extensive experience delivering on aggressive performance targets and helping industry leaders navigate complex operating environments, M&A, disruptive innovation and category transformation.”

Turner joined PepsiCo in February 2016, initially serving as a senior vice president at the Frito-Lay North America business, where he led the optimization of Frito-Lay’s direct-store delivery capability.

At McKinsey, he was a partner in the firm’s Dallas office and advised clients in the retail, restaurant, consumer packaged goods, airline, high-tech, and media industries.

“I look forward to partnering with Yum Brands’ global leadership team to drive growth and profitability for the company’s iconic KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands, franchisees, and shareholders,” Turner said.