KFC appoints first black female as Africa’s new General Manager

NAIROBI - Akhona Qengqe has been appointed as Kentucky Fried Chicken [KFC ], she is the very first black female General Manager for Africa effective from April 1st, this year.

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, the 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.

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, Akhona has been central to the business’s development programmes – enabling a heart-led, high-performing people culture. Further to this, 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.

“Akhona 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,” continues Sami.

As a fierce advocate for gender parity and female empowerment, Akhona conceptualised and launched KFC Africa’s Women on the Move programme, which 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.

“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. 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,” said Qengqe.

She added that “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 hihigh-performanceheartled culture, we have shown that the impossible is in fact possible. I cannot wait to see what we can collectively achieve.”

GAROWE ONLINE