Restaurants
10 KFC operations leaders
These ten current and former KFC operations leaders have held director-level or more senior operations roles at KFC brand organizations and Yum! Brands in the United States, Canada, Latin America, the Middle East, India and the South Pacific. A reader can learn how operations leaders work at KFC from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
01—10Corrie Hehr
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · KFC Canada (Yum! Brands Subsidiary)
Chief Operating Officer at KFC Canada (Yum! Brands Subsidiary) since September 2025. The profile also lists Vice President Operations at Dentalcorp (2024–2025), Sr. Director, Operations at dentalcorp Canada (2018–2024) and District Manager at Bed Bath & Beyond (2010–2018).
Doug Cook
LinkedInExperience: Former Interim Chief Operations Officer · KFC US
Former Interim Chief Operations Officer at KFC US (2022–2023) and Senior Director Restaurant Strategies there (2016–2024), a role the profile describes as responsible for four strategic pillars of Operations across KFC US. The profile also lists Director, Operations Intelligence and Accountability (2015–2016) and Sr. Operations Leader (2013–2015) at KFC US, and Vice President Operations at Home Instead / Honor since February 2024.
Fernando Palarea
LinkedInExperience: Director of Restaurant Excellence - KFC US · Yum! Brands
Director of Restaurant Excellence - KFC US at Yum! Brands since June 2025, in Frisco, Texas. The profile also lists Sr. Director of Operational Transformation & Excellence (2021–2025), Director of Sourcing & Supply Chain (2017–2021) and Director of Quality Assurance, R&D, OPS Services & Sourcing (2012–2017) at Pollo Campero.
Jaswant Singh
LinkedInExperience: Regional Director of Operations · KFC Canada (Yum! Brands Subsidiary)
Regional Director of Operations at KFC Canada (Yum! Brands Subsidiary) since May 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The profile places this current role in the Operations department at director level and lists no other work history, so the KFC Canada regional operations role is the only position shown.
Luke Jackson
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · KFC US
Chief Operating Officer at KFC US since August 2026, in Plano, Texas. Luke Jackson was also Global Director of Operations (2025–2026) and Director of Operations Compliance (2024–2025) at KFC, and Head of Franchise Operations (2022–2023) and Head of Central Restaurant Operations (2022) at KFC UK & Ireland.
Matthew Forsyth
LinkedInExperience: Operations Director – Franchise · KFC South Pacific (Yum! Brands Subsidiary)
Operations Director – Franchise at KFC South Pacific (Yum! Brands Subsidiary) since March 2023, in the Greater Sydney area, where the profile says Matthew Forsyth heads a multidisciplinary team. The profile also lists Restaurant Technology Partner (Senior Manager), APAC at KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN (2021–2023) and Customer Experience Manager at KFC South Pacific (2018–2021).
Nicki Small
LinkedInExperience: Director of Operations- Restaurant Experience (RX) SOPAC · KFC South Pacific (Yum! Brands Subsidiary)
Director of Operations- Restaurant Experience (RX) SOPAC at KFC South Pacific (Yum! Brands Subsidiary) since December 2023, in Manly, New South Wales. The profile also lists BWS Head of Format Operations (2019–2023) and BWS State Manager NSW ACT (from 2017) at Endeavour Group, and National Retail Manager AUS at Cotton On Group (2016–2017).
Praveen Reddy Cheruku
LinkedInExperience: Sr. Director Operations - KFC Corporation, USA · Yum! Brands
Sr. Director Operations - KFC Corporation, USA at Yum! Brands since April 2024, in Plano, Texas. Praveen Reddy Cheruku was also Chief Operations Officer KFC MENAPakT & CIS (2022–2024), Director Restaurant Excellence KFC Sub-Saharan Africa (2019–2021) and Chief Operations Officer KFC Indian Subcontinent (2016–2019) at Yum! Brands.
Rodrigo M.
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating, QA and Technologies Officer - KFC Latin America and the Caribbean · Yum! Brands
Chief Operating, QA and Technologies Officer - KFC Latin America and the Caribbean at Yum! Brands since December 2025; the profile headline cites 2,200+ locations in 39 countries. Rodrigo M. was also Chief Operating, QA and Supply Chain Officer - KFC Latin America and the Caribbean (2023–2025) and Director of Operations - KFC Global (2021–2022) at Yum! Brands.
Xiang Wang
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operations Officer · KFC
Chief Operations Officer at KFC since April 2024, in Dubai; the profile headline describes the role as Chief Operations and Technology Officer at KFC MenaPakT and CIS. Xiang Wang was also Chief Development Officer at KFC (2022–2024), and the profile lists Associate Partner (2020–2022) and Principal (2018–2020) at Bain & Company.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's market and scope, such as one country, a multi-country region or global operations, to the question you bring. Check whether their KFC role is current or past before asking how operations run there today.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How do you set restaurant operating standards that hold across thousands of locations in many countries?
- 02What does a brand operations team need to support franchise restaurant performance?
- 03How do you measure and improve the guest experience in quick service restaurants?
Reaching KFC operations leaders
How can I contact one of these KFC operations leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 5 companies, including KFC Canada (Yum! Brands Subsidiary), KFC US and Yum! Brands, based on profile data retrieved on October 13, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach KFC operations leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. It includes Instant Expert's 20% fee, so an offer that pays the person $100 costs you $125. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these KFC operations leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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