KFC have a bold ambition to be the most inclusive Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brand on the planet and today, at its first external-facing women’s event at its Restaurant Service Centre in Bryanston, KFC showcased not only the great strides in the meaningful inclusion of women in key roles across the organisation, but encouraged industry players to have the authentic conversations to inspire and walk the road of change together
“As part of its people strategy, inclusion has always been a big bet for KFC and globally, we are set to reach our gender parity targets by 2030. However, there is so much more to do and the focus is very much on continuing to create an environment and culture where all voices are heard, respected, and valued and where the table is big enough for all,” says Nolo Thobejane, Chief People and Transformation Officer at KFC. “This event is really about creating a safe space for those courageous conversations to inspire a movement.”
Under the theme “How big is YOUR table?”, it was apt to have former Deputy President of South Africa, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General & Executive Director of UN Women, Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, as the keynote for the morning. Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka spoke to how important it is to be intentional about change and to commit to a plan as only through a plan can change be gauged – recalling her time at the UN and the foundation steps undertaken to get the rights of women on the global table.
As the head of the UN Women, Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has been a global advocate for women and girls. She established initiatives such as the HeForShe for men and boys to address gender equality. She also successfully mobilised an historic $40 billion USD for women and girls around the world. She is the founder and leader of Umlambo Foundation, whose mission is to support people to win against poverty through education.
“We cannot rely on Government alone to move the agenda for women – we need women organisations, civil society and the private sector. I commend KFC for the strides they are making in this space, raising the bar when it comes to driving inclusivity and making room at the table. Businesses can’t just be donors – they have a stake in this, and they need to be active participants.”
According to McKinsey, achieving gender parity is expected to contribute $28 trillion to global economy and in Africa, it is expected to contribute $360 billion to the African economy by 2025. Numerous reports also comprehensively show that inclusive organisations that boast the greatest gender, ethnic and cultural diversity achieve better commercial returns and are more profitable than their less diverse counterparts. Moreover, more diverse teams tend to exhibit greater complexity in problem-solving and are more innovative. But it is so much more than just business. Female empowerment is about engraining true transformation into the core of the organisation.
Prominent women and many holding ‘firsts’ in their respective fields, including Barbara Makhubedu, CFO at Liberty Two Degrees, Sinenhlanhla Magagula, Chief Human Resources Officer at Tiger Brands, Lerato Maupa, Executive: Human Resources, Retail Business Banking at Nedbank and Michele Ruiters, senior lecturer from GIBS, joined KFC representatives including Hloni Mohope, Marketing Director: Brand Comms & Purpose at KFC, and Women on the Move Founding Member, to speak to not only their own journeys but what they are doing in their respective organsations as well as the investments they are making in accelerating female leadership.
The teams shared their learnings, how their organisations are responsively adapting and how as a collective we can continue to champion their respective programmes.
KFC’s Women on the Move Program, conceptualised by Akhona Qengqe, the recently appointed first female General Manager for Africa at KFC, was launched in 2021 and aims to build leadership know-how and equip women with the tools and resources that will accelerate the growth of female talent into meaningful leadership roles.
This transformative 12-month programme adopts a blended learning approach that includes formal training courses, personal development interventions, mentorship and peer learning circles, all of which results in bench readiness for leadership and drives a high-performance culture within the organisation. KFC have also extended the reach and impact of this initiative even further through our Women on the Move Extended Network (WOM.EN) programme, which brings women across the globe together, at all levels – giving them the opportunity to share experiences, learnings, challenges and create growth networks in the workplace.
These messages were reiterated by Chief Justice Meaza, the first female Chief Justice of Ethiopia, who said that its our responsibility as women to bring more women into the decision-making table and while being a ‘first’ can be a challenge, it is also an opportunity and together, with the support of progressive men, we can really make a difference.
Sponsorship and mentorship were also key themes that emerged from the event.
“Allyship is the key to creating inclusive workplaces,” adds Mohope. “Not only does it drive an intersectional dimension of diversity and an honest introspection and acknowledgement, but it opens up authentic conversations and vulnerable interactions. These are the true drivers of change – creating a virtuous cycle of support, where women can pull up more chairs to make room for more female voices at the table.”
“Its not just about the policies and processes, it’s also about creating the enabling environments and leaning on the allyship available that will truly move the needle. And it’s not just about keeping the seat warm, its lifting as you climb, and the message is one of hope and strength. The table and programmes may look different, but the aim is the same and it is not a destination but rather a journey, and together if we are intentional, can build this this agenda and collectively we can change the country. At KFC, we invite organisations to join us in partnership to drive gender inclusivity and sustainable change,” concludes Qengqe.
