KFC has announced the appointment of its very first black female General Manager for Africa – Akhona Qengqe.
Akhona will step into this role on 01 April 2023. She will replace outgoing GM – Dhruv Kaul, who is moving into a GM role for KFC Pan Europe.
Akhona’s experience spans 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.
Akhona 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, before being promoted to Chief People Officer (CPO) for KFC Africa in 2020 and more recently, appointed to Chief Development Officer.
“Akhona 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 the sustainability of the business but also, growth of local female talent. In fact, she has been instrumental in the team achieving diverse talent, with the Africa Senior leadership population now transformed at 50% women,” says Sabir Sami, KFC Global Chief Executive Officer.
Akhona has been a spearhead for the KFC Add Hope programme and 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.
