Senior Officers

Ms. Joey Wat has served as our Chief Executive Officer since March 2018 and as a member of our Board of Directors since July 2017. She served as our President and Chief Operating Officer from February 2017 to February 2018 and the Chief Executive Officer, KFC from October 2016 to February 2017, a position she held at Yum! Restaurants China, from August 2015 to October 2016. Ms. Wat joined Yum! Restaurants China in September 2014 as President of KFC China and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer for KFC China in August 2015. Before joining YUM, Ms. Wat served in both management and strategy positions at A.S. Watson Group (“Watson”), an international health, beauty and lifestyle retailer, in the U.K. from 2004 to 2014. Her last position at Watson was managing director of Watson Health & Beauty U.K., which operates Superdrug and Savers, two retail chains specializing in the sale of pharmacy and health and beauty products, from 2012 to 2014. She made the transition from head of strategy of Watson in Europe to managing director of Savers in 2007. Before joining Watson, Ms. Wat spent seven years in management consulting including with McKinsey & Company’s Hong Kong office from 2000 to 2003. Ms. Wat obtained a master of management degree from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 2000. Ms. Wat has been honored with consecutive inclusion in the Forbes “The World’s Most Powerful Women” list from 2020 to 2023 and Forbes China “100 Top Businesswomen List” from 2019 to 2023. Additionally, since 2018 she has been continually recognized on Fortune magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Business” list and Fortune China's “50 Business Leaders”. In 2020, she was also named to Business Insider’s “100 People Transforming Business in Asia” list. Ms. Wat brings to our Board extensive knowledge of the Company’s business and her industry acumen acquired in the course of a career that included several leadership roles in retail companies.

Mr. Adrian Ding has served as our Acting Chief Financial Officer since October 2024. Mr. Ding joined the Company in March 2019 as Vice President of Corporate Finance. He has served as Chief Investment Officer of the Company since February 2020 and additionally as General Manager of the Company’s Lavazza joint venture since March 2022. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Ding worked for Alibaba Group Holding Limited from 2018 to early 2019, responsible for strategic investments in the technology and media sectors. Before that, Mr. Ding gained extensive experience in investment banking, having advised clients on a number of capital markets and M&A projects. Mr. Ding worked at UBS AG as a Director in Investment Banking. He also previously worked at Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Global Markets Asia Limited. Mr. Ding currently serves as a director of Fujian Sunner Development Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen Stock Exchange: 002299). Mr. Ding obtained a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School, and a bachelor’s degree in quantitative finance from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Mr. Warton Wang has served as General Manager, KFC since May 2022. He was appointed as our Chief Development Officer in July 2020. Mr. Wang joined KFC as an operations management trainee in 1998. He was promoted to Market Manager of KFC in 2007 and was appointed as a Regional Vice President, KFC Field Operations in 2015. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from Liaoning Normal University.

Mr. Jeff Kuai has served as the General Manager, Pizza Hut since November 2017. Mr. Kuai previously served as the General Manager, Pizza Hut Home Service from March 2017 to October 2017 and as the Brand General Manager, Pizza Hut Home Service from October 2016 to March 2017, a position he held at Yum! Restaurants China from January 2015 to October 2016. From March 2012 to August 2013, Mr. Kuai was Director of Delivery Support Center for Yum! Restaurants China, where he was instrumental in building its online ordering and e-commerce capabilities. Prior to that, Mr. Kuai spent nine years in the information technology department of Yum! Restaurants China, enhancing its information technology infrastructure and productivity. He obtained a master’s degree in information technology from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2007 and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago in 2014.

Mr. Duoduo (Howard) Huang has served as our Chief Supply Chain Officer since November 2021. Mr. Huang served as Vice President, Pizza Hut Regional Operations, from June 2018 to November 2021. Before transferring to Pizza Hut, Mr. Huang held various leadership positions in KFC, including as General Manager of Nanjing and Wuxi markets. Mr. Huang joined Yum! Restaurants China in 1995. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in food quarantine and inspection from Anhui Agricultural University.

Ms. Leila Zhang has served as the Chief Technology Officer of Yum China since March 2018. Ms. Zhang served as Vice President, Information Technology from October 2016 to March 2018, a position she held at Yum! Restaurants China from 2014 to October 2016. Ms. Zhang joined YUM in 1996, held various positions in the information technology department, and began leading the department in February 2017. Prior to joining YUM, Ms. Zhang was an engineer with Inventec Electronics (Shanghai) from 1992 to 1996.

Ms. Pingping Liu has served as our Chief Legal Officer since January 2024. Ms. Liu joined the Company in May 2016 and served as Senior Legal Director of the Company. Ms. Liu also served as Corporate Secretary since May 2019. Ms. Liu has 20 years of experience in legal and compliance. From July 2005 to July 2013, Ms. Liu worked at Shearman & Sterling LLP. From September 2002 to June 2005, Ms. Liu worked at Arnold & Porter LLP. Ms. Liu is admitted to the District of Columbia Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association.

Mr. Jerry Ding has served as our Chief People Officer since August 2023. Mr. Ding served as Head of Corporate Strategy from November 2019 to July 2023 and brand leader of Taco Bell from November 2021 to May 2023. Prior to joining Yum China, Mr. Ding worked at McKinsey & Company for over six years, specializing in developing corporate-level strategies. Mr. Ding holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science from Yale University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Automation from Tsinghua University.

Ms. Xueling Lu has served as Controller and Principal Accounting Officer of Yum China since January 2018. Ms. Lu previously served as Senior Director, Finance of Yum China, a position she held since she joined the Company in November 2016. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Lu was the Asia Pacific Controller of Lear Corporation from 2013 to 2016. Before joining Lear Corporation, Ms. Lu spent 10 years in public accounting with Ernst & Young, specializing in audits and initial public offerings of companies listed in the U.S., SEC reporting and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Ms. Lu is a certified public accountant in California and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.