Kentucky Fried Chicken has named its former franchise business coach, John Mays, as KFC U.S. director of equity and inclusion. In the newly created role, Mays will lead the development and implementation of KFC's equity and inclusion strategy, a news release said.
“At KFC, we have a passion for food and serving it with pride; we are also a people-first culture, and John embodies this culture day in and day out, making him the perfect person for this new role,” says John Kurnick, KFC U.S. chief people officer. “His drive and ability to build upon our culture of inclusion will enhance our existing foundational efforts as a brand – from employee resource groups to KFC's inclusive hiring initiative. I am confident that John will challenge our thinking and bring provocative thought leadership to this role.”
The company said that Mays had been instrumental in educating the brand on systemic racism, including helping to develop it’s external response to the deaths of Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and others. He will lead efforts to ensure KFC's equity and inclusion vision is part of the company's structure, processes and decision-making.
“My driving passion is making sure everyone feels empowered to bring the best authentic version of themselves to the workplace and no one is left behind,” Mays says. “And while equity and inclusion may look different for everyone, if we can spark change by capturing on the momentum of this moment to become a sustainable movement for our brand, then I believe KFC will have done something extraordinary.”
Mays joined the KFC operations team as a manager of restaurant strategies in 2015 and most recently served as franchise business coach. Globally, KFC has more than 24,000 stores in 145 countries and territories. The brand is based in Louisville, Kentucky.