---
title: "Yum! Brands Name New Taco Bell and Pizza Hut CEOs"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/994f0fcc-e826-4040-97e0-7e5e2b5f9261
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/yum-brands-name-new-taco-bell-and-pizza-hut-ceos-2710580
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
topics: ["Finance & M&A"]
published: 2019-07-26T15:10:37.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:32:26.005Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/607ca59482e860fdb495a7ecb31a35106888.jpg
---

# Yum! Brands Name New Taco Bell and Pizza Hut CEOs

**TL;DR:** Yum! Brands has appointed Mark King as CEO of Taco Bell and Artie Starrs as CEO of Pizza Hut, effective August 5. The two will report to Yum Brands' president and CFO, David Gibbs, along with KFC Division CEO Tony Lowings.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-07-26. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/yum-brands-name-new-taco-bell-and-pizza-hut-ceos-2710580).*

## Story

Yum Brands, owners of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC have appointed new CEOs for two divisions, effective Aug. 5. Mark King, age 60, is former president of Adidas Group North America. Artie Starrs, age 42, is being promoted from within, leaving his current position of Pizza Hut U.S. president. Together with KFC Division CEO Tony Lowings, the three will report to David Gibbs, president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Yum Brands.

“We believe this global brand division leadership structure at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut will enable the U.S. and international teams to further implement innovative best practices worldwide, strengthen digital and technology capabilities and accelerate growth for franchisees and shareholders,” said Yum Brands CEO Greg Creed in a statement reported by Nation’s Restaurant News.

“Mark is an accomplished retail innovator, and Artie is an excellent growth strategist – both are strong culture leaders who will continue to elevate Taco Bell and Pizza Hut into relevant, easy and distinctive global brands.”

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- brand growth (topic)
- Taco Bell (company)
- KFC (company)
- Pizza Hut (company)
- Yum Brands (company)
- ceo appointment (topic)
- Mark King (person)
- David Gibbs (person)
- leadership structure (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/yum-brands-name-new-taco-bell-and-pizza-hut-ceos-2710580). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/994f0fcc-e826-4040-97e0-7e5e2b5f9261).