Staffing

Yum Brands COO Tracy Skeans retiring after 25 years: Nai De Leon named successor

Nai De Leon will replace Tracy Skeans as COO and chief people officer at Yum Brands. Photo: Yum Brands

July 30, 2026

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Yum Brands COO and Chief People and Culture Officer Tracy Skeans is retiring, according to Chris Turner, CEO of Yum Brands, in the brand's earnings call this morning.

Skeans has been with the brand for more than 25 years.

"Throughout her career, Tracy has played an instrumental role in shaping our operational excellence model, strengthening our culture, developing our talent, and helping position Yum for long-term growth," Turner said in the call.

Skeans will be relaced by Nai De Leon, who takes the position effective Nov. 1.

"I've had the privilege of working alongside Tracy for many years, and I'm deeply grateful for her leadership, partnership and lasting impact on our company," Turner added. "I'm excited to share that Nai De Leon will become our Chief People and Culture Officer effective November first. Nai has a decade of experience working for and with Yum, most recently as our Chief Talent and Centers of Excellence Officer, leading some of our most important organizational and strategic initiatives. Across Yum, we're also committed to creating positive impact in the communities we serve. We recently released our annual global citizenship and sustainability report spotlighting how we are integrating impact and sustainability into our growth strategy. 2025 was a year of progress across many of these efforts."