SA's Akhona Qengqe Is KFC Africa's New General Manager

Johannesburg - KFC (www.global.KFC.com ) on Thursday announced the appointment of its very first black female General Manager for Africa - Akhona Qengqe. She will step into this role on 1 April 2023.Qengqe replaces outgoing GM - Dhruv Kaul, who is moving into a GM role for KFC Pan Europe.Qengqe's experience, spans across multiple industries including petroleum, property, marketing, operations and convenience retail. She has also served as the chairperson of the Board of the Franchise Association of South Africa. Qengqe is no stranger to KFC in Africa having started with the business in 2015 as development director, after which she was promoted to lead the brand's Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (EI&B) agenda.She was later promoted to Chief People Officer (CPO) for KFC Africa in 2020 and more recently, Qengqe was appointed to Chief Development Officer."Akhona (Qengqe) has spent the better part of her eight years at KFC as an intrinsic part of the KFC leadership team in Africa and has worked closely with Dhruv and the team to ensure sustainability of the business but also, growth of local female talent," said Sabir Sami, KFC Global Chief Executive Officer."In fact, she has been instrumental in the team achieving diverse talent, with the Africa Senior leadership population now transformed at 50% women." Not only has she moved up the KFC ranks with grace and rigour but, in partnership with the Leadership team, she has helped the KFC business navigate a disruptive pandemic which impacted not only business but also staff from a wellness and workplace perspective - a job she managed with humility, empathy and efficiency. More than this, Qengqe has been central to the business's development programmes - enabling a heart-led, high-performing people culture.Further to this, Qengqe spearheads the KFC Add Hope programme. She is an advocate for creating access to nutritious meals for those less fortunate - assisting the team in mobilising and driving this critical pillar of purpose for the business. "Akhona (Qengqe) has been central to the development and success of KFC Africa's equality programmes, taking them to new heights both on the local front as well as from a global perspective," said Sami.As a fierce advocate for gender parity and female empowerment, Qengqe conceptualised and launched KFC Africa's Women on the Move programme.It was created in 2021 as a transformative 12-month programme to equip women with tools and resources that will help them leverage their innate leadership qualities and fuel results within the KFC business locally.Further to this, and critical to her role as a true leader and advocate - Qengqe created and launched KFC's global Community of Belonging (COB), SHINE - a safe and brave space for people to connect, belong and lead - building leadership experience in creating an environment of inclusion and belonging, with a restaurant-first mentality. This programme allows KFC to partner with other leaders from around the world to lead change and become a visible ally for communities, bringing together women and LGBTQIA+ communities from around the globe."This role really is a dream come true, and though I didn't always know where my career would lead, getting here has been an incredible journey of learning, self-discovery and building many friendships along the way," said Qengqe."Having grown up in the small rural town of Umtata in the Eastern Cape and being exposed to the many challenges that most women in our country face, being able to fill this role and represent others that look like me, is what gives this real meaning and purpose for me."Qengqe added: "I believe in Africa, I believe in its people and the incredible untapped potential that still exists. "As a business, we have shown tremendous growth, momentum and acceleration through very challenging times in the past few years but because of the people we have in our business and our ongoing commitment to a high-performance, heart-led culture, we have shown that the impossible is in fact possible. "I cannot wait to see what we can collectively achieve." KFC Africa (https://global.KFC.com), the most loved fast-food brand in 23 markets across the continent, is partnering with Serge Ibaka, of the Milwaukee Bucks, to enable and uplift the continent's youth and communities, whilst growing grass-roots basketball. "The average age in Africa is 19 and sport, specifically basketball, is a passion… Management & Leadership