Yum! Brands elevates Sean Tresvant as Taco Bell Division CEO

Yum! Brands has promoted Sean Tresvant as Taco Bell Division Chief Executive Officer, reporting to Yum! Brands Chief Executive Officer David Gibbs, effective January 1, 2024.

Tresvant, who currently serves as Global Chief Brand and Strategy Officer of Taco Bell, will succeed Mark King, who has announced his decision to retire at the end of 2023. As CEO, Tresvant will assume global responsibility for driving Taco Bell’s growth strategies, franchise operations and overall performance.

“Sean is a visionary business leader and best-in-class brand builder who is driving transformative R.E.D. (relevant, easy, distinctive) sales-powering efforts, from omni-channel initiatives to digital customer touchpoints, to accelerate growth and further elevate and differentiate the Taco Bell fan and team member experience,” said Gibbs. “Sean is laser focused on keeping our powerhouse Taco Bell brand at the leading edge of culture and redefining innovation in the industry. That’s why he is the ideal executive to continue successfully executing Taco Bell’s long-term global growth strategies and take them to the next level in partnership with the brand’s strong and accomplished leadership team and incredible franchisees. Sean, Mark and I will continue to work closely together over the coming months to ensure a seamless transition.”

Tresvant joined Taco Bell in January 2022 as Global Chief Brand Officer. He was promoted to an expanded role as Global Chief Brand and Strategy Officer earlier this year, focused on developing perspective and ambition for long-term global growth.

Prior to joining Taco Bell, Tresvant spent more than 15 years in leadership roles at Nike including Chief Marketing Officer of the Jordan Brand.

“The love our fans and team members have for Taco Bell is extraordinary and means we’re in a unique position to push the limits on culture and become a brand that inspires and enables the world to Live Más,” said Tresvant. “I’m grateful to have worked alongside Mark, and I’m incredibly honoured and excited to continue partnering with our talented team and amazing franchisees on Taco Bell’s magic formula of brand buzz, innovation, value and digital initiatives to deliver industry-leading results in the U.S. and internationally.”

“Taco Bell, our employees and our world-class franchisee partners have thrived under Mark’s leadership as he and his team have accelerated the innovation, sales growth and unique brand identity that make Taco Bell an undisputed global icon,” said Gibbs. “It was no surprise our industry recently recognized Mark as the Restaurant Leader of the Year, because he exemplifies what it means to be an innovator, risk taker and growth maker. I want to thank Mark for his outstanding leadership that not only drove strong results but also inspired restless creativity and enabled a people-first environment for everyone to thrive. While we will miss Mark, we wish him well as he enjoys this new phase of life with his family.”