Staffing

KFC UK and Ireland appoints Ella Smith chief legal officer

Photo: KFC

March 5, 2024

KFC UK and Ireland has appointed Ella Smith as chief legal officer, according to a press release.

Smith first joined the company as head of legal. She will now sit on the UK and Ireland executive team and report to General Manager Meghan Farren.

In her new role, Ella will serve as the chief legal counsel on KFC's recently-announced acquisition of 218 restaurants from EG Group, KFC's largest franchisee in the UK and Ireland.

"Since joining KFC Ella has proved herself to be a courageous business leader — consistently demonstrating exceptional legal expertise and valued counsel, alongside a tremendous ability to inspire and build teams," Farren said in the release. "Ella is perfectly placed to lead our legal team during this exciting phase of KFC's growth, as we acquire the previously franchised restaurants from EG. I look forward to working alongside her to deliver on this huge opportunity for our business in the UK and Ireland."

"I'm thrilled to be stepping into this new role at such an exciting time for KFC, full of interesting challenges and unique opportunities to drive growth in the UK and Ireland," Smith said in the release. "I'm lucky to work with some of the finest legal talent in the industry, and together we'll keep supporting the business' long-term ambitions."

KFC operates more than 1,000 restaurants across the U.K. and Ireland.