Meet Catherine Tan-Gillespie, who started washing dishes at 13 for £1.20 an hour; years later, she became KFC's US president

Catherine Tan-Gillespie had a never give up attitude from the beginning. She always went toward jobs that pushed her out of her comfort zone. These jobs forced her to take risks, and also taught her to embrace a little chaos. Her career shows that an early job in the restraint industry can lead to senior leadership.

Who is she and how did she get her first job?

Catherine Tan-Gillespie is the president of KFC'S US business. At 13, she started washing dishes at Beefeater, a now-defunct British restraint chain and earned £1.20 an hour. She later worked at the ice cream machine and eventually became an assistant general manager at the restraint chain.

She is the first person in her family to attend college and studied business at the University of Plymouth and graduated in 1996, reported Fortune.


Catherine Tan-Gillespie completed an internship at HP and subsequently held marketing roles at Frito-Lay and Sony Pictures.

She once said that Richard Branson, who is the founder of Virgin Group, was someone whose innovation, creativity and focus on customers and employees was something that she admired. She aspired to become the "female Richard Branson."

She has also said that she prioritised learning opportunists over money or titles. She was seeking roles that challenged her without pushing her into a state of panic.

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Why did she leave some companies?

Catherine Tan-Gillespie walked away from workplaces where she felt the culture would not allow her personality to flourish.

She joined KFC South Pacific in 2015, and became global chief marketing officer in 2017 and later led KFC Canada in 2024. Then, she became president of KFC US in April 2025.

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The challenge today

KFC's US sales declined 3% year over year in 2025 and fell another 2% in its most recently reported quarter at the time of the Fortune report.

According to the report, it is trying to connect with younger customers through partnerships, menu changes, branding and store layouts.