Yum! Brands elevates COO David Gibbs to CEO

Yum! Brands has named David Gibbs, who had been recently working as the COO of the company, as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Gibbs will succeed Greg Creed, who will be retiring at the end of 2019. 

Gibbs, who has been with Yum! Brands since 1989, has held several senior roles including Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for three years and COO from early 2019. 

Creed has been with the company for 25 years. He will remain as CEO through the end of 2019. Creed will be serving as a part-time adviser next year and also remain on the company's board.

The Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum! Brands has over 48,000 Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC restaurants spread across the globe. The company is facing a competitive market at this critical juncture in the fast-food chain market.

In order to tap into the food delivery business, Yum! even acquired a stake in the food-ordering and delivery services company GrubHub in 2018.