KFC has tapped Canada’s Catherine Tan-Gillespie as chief marketing officer and chief development officer for KFC U.S., effective immediately.

Tan-Gillespie joins the U.S. arm of the brand from KFC Canada, where she has served as president and general manager since 2022, and will report to Tarun Lal, president of KFC U.S.

In this role, Tan-Gillespie will develop and implement marketing strategies to help return the business to growth in the U.S. This includes oversight of all integrated marketing, advertising, PR, media and consumer insights, as well as the brand’s digital initiatives.

Tan-Gillespie will also oversee food innovation and commercialization, new restaurant development, existing restaurant redevelopment and asset design for the U.S.

She has been with KFC for nine years and previously served as CMO for the brand in the South Pacific region and then the KFC Global CMO.

“Tan-Gillespie is a seasoned leader with a proven record of building brands and delivering compelling marketing initiatives that deliver measurable bottom-line impact,” says Lal. “By combining marketing and development roles into one, we are acknowledging the importance of the customer experience in our restaurants to overall brand perception and doubling down on our commitments to getting both right.”

Prior to KFC, Tan-Gillespie served in various marketing roles in food, working for Frito-Lay, Aussie milk brand and Dairy Farmers. In entertainment, she worked for Sony and Universal Pictures.