Yum! Grows Female Leadership at Women’s Foodservice Forum Conference

Last week, 39 team members from Yum! and our brands attended the Women’s Foodservice Forum’s (WFF) Annual Leadership Development Conference in Orlando, Florida.

The WFF’s Annual Leadership Development Conference is a mix of educational sessions and speakers that aims to provide attendees with the tools they need to chart out their own career paths, as evidence to the WFF’s mission to advance women leaders, driving growth for individuals and organizations.

“These conferences truly help to develop our current and future leaders both personally and professionally…supporting our goal of creating and developing unrivaled culture and talent,” said James Fripp, Yum!’s Global Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion, who was in attendance, along with our CEO, Greg Creed.

The conference was packed with several high-profile speakers, including Dawn Sweeney, CEO of National Restaurant Association, and Suze Orman, Financial Guru and Bestselling Author.  Among the sessions, our Yum! attendees took away powerful messages.

Haley Bethel, Digital Analyst for KFC Global, and Jo Moyer, Legal for Taco Bell, were both inspired by Michelle Poler’s session, “What Are You Afraid Of?” Michelle, known for her 100 Days Without Fear experience, encouraged the attendees to not be afraid of failing in order to grow: “doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” Moyer said she is already planning a 100 Day project of her own.

“Being surrounded by that many smart, positive and successful women was truly inspiring,” said Julie Lloyd, Human Resources for Yum! Brands.  She looks forward to sharing her insights from the conference with others.

Kristen Burress, QA for KFC U.S., took away the importance of regularly evaluating the core areas of life according to Simon T. Bailey, the bestselling author and speaker. “If something is falling short, you must address it and make something happen vs. playing it safe or being complacent,” said Burress.

While many women note specific learnings from the conference, Laura Flynn, Finance for Taco Bell, stresses the importance of organizations that focus on growing women leaders. “WFF brings attention to the fact that women are untapped resources in the workforce with unique minds and voices. The organization empowers women to recognize how their thought processes and opinions add significant value to discussions, companies and the broader economy,” said Flynn.

Fripp encourages male leaders to advocate for female associates and understand the impact of supporting women in leadership. “When we all seek to understand, truly seek to understand, we all get better and ultimately produce better business results,” said Fripp.  He is a firm believer that women in leadership reap positive outcomes for business, culturally and financially.

Yum! is among the 200+ leading foodservice companies that partner with WFF in order to develop and grow top talent and leadership. Visit WFF’s official website to read more about how the organization is changing the face of leadership, and how to get involved.

To see more photos of our team at the conference, be sure to check out our Facebook page.

Check out the entire #WFFConf conversation here.