David Graves Promoted to Pizza Hut U.S. President

Yum! Brands is shaking up its c-suite at Pizza Hut and KFC.

Pizza Hut 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.

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.