Dive Brief:
- Yum Brands introduced a new leader to the helm of its technology efforts amid several other executive changes, the Taco Bell and Pizza Hut parent company said Tuesday. Jim Dausch has been promoted to chief digital and technology officer and president of Byte by Yum, the restaurant brand’s SaaS platform of AI-driven tools for customers, processes and internal teams.
- Dausch was previously global chief digital and technology officer of Yum’s Pizza Hut. Before joining the Kentucky-based restaurant group, Dausch served as EVP and chief consumer officer at Under Armour and chief digital and business transformation officer at Marriott International.
- Dausch replaces Joe Park, who is leaving to pursue an outside opportunity, the company said. Park held several technology leadership roles at Yum during his five-year tenure.
Dive Insight:
Yum Brands is ushering in a new era of its C-suite, which includes a shift in technology leadership and a CEO change.
Chris Turner, chief financial and franchise officer, will step into the CEO role on Oct. 1. The company also appointed a new CFO and chief consumer officer, and plans to add a chief scale officer to the team.
“This new structure and industry-leading talent strengthens our ability to deliver for our stakeholders and positions Yum! to grow in ways that only we can,” Turner said in the announcement.
The fast food company has sharpened its focus on technology amid a challenging environment, as most businesses in the industry experience sales dips and drops in traffic. In pursuit of better performance and efficiency gains, AI has become an important lever.
“As we continue to scale Byte by Yum! and harness the power of AI, [Dausch’s] leadership will be instrumental in elevating our digital capabilities, enabling franchisee success and creating even more connected and personalized experiences for our consumers,” Turner said.
In its latest earnings call in August, executives credited AI for improving personalized advertising, decision-making and business innovation timelines through developer tools.
“We have exciting plans for the next six months, including expanding our internally developed voice AI solution developed on the Nvidia stack to our first drive-thru restaurant in Q3,” Turner said during the presentation.
The company’s Byte platform has also become a critical part of its strategy — and a hallmark of Park’s tenure.
“I’m grateful and proud of what we accomplished together,” Park said in a LinkedIn post announcing his departure Tuesday. “Most recently, we built and scaled Byte by Yum! across brands and unified [design and technology] so we could deliver more, better, faster, cheaper, and safer technology for our restaurants. I’ll remember restaurant walks, customer conversations, go‑lives, operating reviews, whiteboard debates — and the quiet pride when a small change made a guest’s visit and a team member’s shift easier.”
