Catherine Tan-Gillespie’s restaurant career began at age 13, when she washed dishes at the British chain Beefeater for £1.20 an hour. She eventually became an assistant general manager. The first person in her family to attend college, she studied business at the University of Plymouth and graduated in 1996. Her marketing career, promoting products to customers, included work at HP, Frito-Lay, and Sony Pictures.
Rather than seeking higher pay or impressive titles, Tan-Gillespie looked for roles that challenged her to learn. Virgin Group founder Richard Branson became her role model because she admired his creativity and treatment of people. She also left companies whose working culture did not allow her to be herself. After joining KFC in Australia and New Zealand in 2015, she became its global marketing chief in 2017. She led KFC Canada in 2024 before taking charge of the U.S. business in April 2025.
Her current task is to improve KFC’s U.S. performance as sales decline. The chain faces stronger competition and customers who are more concerned about health and have tighter budgets. To attract younger customers, KFC has partnered with online video star iShowSpeed and is changing its menu, brand image, and restaurant layouts. Tan-Gillespie encourages young workers to speak up for opportunities and take chances despite their fears.
