KFC Global appoints COO

Maria Cacciapuoti has worked at the chain since 2015 and will partner with franchisees to modernize the guest and team experience.

Maria Cacciapuoti has worked at KFC since 2015, holding various leadership positions in KFC markets around the world, including Italy, Iberia, Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe, according to a company announcement.

She most recently worked as the general manager for KFC North Asia for over a year, according to her LinkedIn profile. Her career prior to KFC includes more than eight years at McDonald's in Italy, where she worked as regional franchising controller and national franchising controller.

“[Cacciapuoti] is known as a courageous leader who delivers results and has a passion for building high-performing teams and franchise partnerships,” the company said. “She brings deep expertise in operations, finance and franchising and general management, with more than 20 years of her career spent in the restaurant and retail industries.”

In her new role, Cacciapuoti will oversee KFC’s global operations functions, including “driving operational excellence across the brand.” She will also partner with franchisees to modernize the KFC experience for both consumers and team members.

Her role will likely include supporting tenets of KFC’s global transformation, which launched earlier this summer. That initiative includes bold redesigns, creating a more experiential dining brand for guests, menu updates and rolling out its Kwench beverage lineup to new markets around the world.