Plano, Texas — Pizza Hut has promoted David Graves to president of Pizza Hut U.S., reporting to Pizza Hut division CEO Aaron Powell, effective January 1, 2022. Graves currently serves as general manager of Pizza Hut U.S. and will succeed the interim president of Pizza Hut U.S., Kevin Hochman.
“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,” says 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.”
With Graves’ appointment, Hochman, who dually serves as president and chief concept officer of 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.
“Kevin has delivered in a really meaningful and significant way, and I can’t thank him enough for his commitment and collaboration over the last 2 years leading two of our iconic brands in the U.S.,” says David Gibbs, CEO of Yum! Brands. “We’re really pleased with Pizza Hut’s continued brand revitalization and transformation to a modern off-premise business in the U.S. I have all the confidence in David Graves — who has done an amazing job reinvigorating Pizza Hut’s innovation pipeline and bringing the brand forward to consumers in a way that’s really resonating — and believe Pizza Hut has an incredibly bright future.”
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. Prior to joining Pizza Hut, Graves spent several years at KFC U.S. leading marketing strategy and was responsible for much of the food innovation credited in KFC’s turnaround.
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kan. Pizza Hut operates nearly 18,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com.
SOURCE: Pizza Hut