Tony Lowings
Tony Lowings on the importance of fostering employees, his extensive journey with KFC, and the greatest challenges he has faced and overcome.
With more than 600 stores across the country, KFC is one of the most easily recognisable brands in Australia. As part of global parent company Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, KFC has more than 18,000 outlets throughout the retail world. Yum! Restaurants Australia is an influential force in the Australian market and is responsible for the KFC and Pizza Hut brands.
Since the first Australian KFC restaurant opened in Guildford, Sydney, in 1968, KFC has developed a strong presence in the Australian market, now boasting an annual turnover of nearly $2 billion for Australia and New Zealand and more than 30,000 employees across company-owned and franchised outlets. Yum! owns and operates 160 KFC stores in Australia, and the remainder are operated by its dedicated community of 53 franchisees.
Yum! Restaurants Australias Managing Director for the South Pacific Tony Lowings is responsible for the KFC brand and operations across Australia and New Zealand. Tony has drawn on his breadth of experience across the retail sector and the global operations of Yum! to ensure continual success for the fast-food giant.
Tony first joined Yum! in 1994 as a planning director in its finance division before transitioning into operations roles. Following a stint as a state manager for KFC New South Wales, he became general manager of operations for Pizza Hut South Pacific before moving back to KFC as general manager of operations for the South Pacific.