KFC names its Asia MD Sabir Sami as global division CEO

Yum! Brands Inc has named Sabir Sami as global division chief executive officer of KFC effective January 1 2022. Sami, presently managing director of KFC Asia, will succeed Tony Lowings who is stepping down as chief executive 2021-end. In the new role, Sami will assume global responsibility for driving the brand strategy and performance of KFC, a statement released by Yum! Brands said.

KFC Asia has been a high-growth region representing 17 markets and comprises over 15% of all KFC division restaurants. India is a strategic, high-potential growth market for Yum, which also operates Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, and follows primarily a franchisee-based operational model. For the second quarter ended June 2021, Yum! Brands had reported an over two-fold jump in system sales of KFC and Pizza Hut in India. The growth came on the back of a nationwide lockdown in the April-June corresponding year-ago quarter. KFC India had reported 221% system sales growth for India and area countries, and had given a guidance of being 'cautiously optimistic' for the second half of 2021. The Indian business represents less than 1% of global system sales for KFC and Pizza Hut.

Sami’s previous roles include those at Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and Reckitt Benckiser. Sami, 54, has been associated with Yum for 12 years. He will report to Yum! chief executive officer David Gibbs.


KFC is Yum!’s largest brand with a footprint of more than 25,000 restaurants. The KFC division added nearly $4 billion in system sales from digital channels last year to grow the KFC digital business to about $10 billion in system sales in 2020, the statement added.