Yum Brands Promotes Joe Park To Chief Digital And Technology Officer

Yum Brands, which owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC and The Habit Burger Grill, named Joe Park as its next Chief Digital and Technology Officer. He starts March 1 and succeeds Clay Johnson, who will stay on as an advisor.

Park joined Yum in 2020 as its first Chief Innovation Officer, leading development of emerging technologies such as AI and automation to streamline kitchen operations. In 2021, he was named Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Pizza Hut Global, overseeing technology and customer experience for more than 19,000 locations in more than 100 countries.

During that time, Park’s team deployed a range of data and ecommerce technologies, including an AI-based platform for optimizing food preparation to HutBot, a “coach in your pocket” app for managers.

In the new role, reporting to CFO Chris Turner, Park will join Yum’s global leadership team, working across the portfolio of brands to strengthen the company’s technology ecosystem, scale digital solutions and deliver new capabilities to franchisees and team members across more than 57,000 restaurants in over 155 countries.

“I’m incredibly excited to continue working with the talented and dedicated digital and technology team members around the world, and to partner with our world-class franchisees to execute the company’s global technology strategy,” Park said. “I’m grateful to have worked alongside Clay … and look forward to continuing to help the company drive its initiatives to deliver a best-in-class digital experience for customers and restaurant team members alike.”

Yum notched $24 billion in digital sales in 2022, doubling its digital business since 2019 and increasing digital sales mix. The company’s digital strategy includes owning differentiated technology platforms tailored for specific brands and markets that drive easy experiences, operations and insights.

Before joining Yum, Park was Walmart’s Vice President of Associate Digital Experience and Enterprise Architecture, overseeing 2,000 employees and providing technology to the largest private sector workforce in the world. He also held leadership roles at General Electric.

“I have had the opportunity to work with Joe over the last decade and have always been impressed by his leadership, his passion around people and his focus on results,” Johnson said in a LinkedIn post.