James Fripp is Senior Director of Global Diversity and Inclusion for Yum! Brands, Inc., (NYSE: YUM), one of the world’s largest restaurant companies with over 41,000 restaurants in more than 125 countries and territories. Yum! Brands is ranked #228 on the FORTUNE 500 list with revenues of more than $13 billion and in 2014 was named among the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by Corporate Responsibility Magazine and one of the Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders in North America. Our restaurant brands – KFC®, Pizza Hut® and Taco Bell® – are the global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories.

James is responsible for leading Yum! Brands’ diversity and inclusion strategies for community relations, corporate culture, workforce, minority and women's business development and the multicultural marketplace. He works with the Company’s businesses around the globe to leverage diversity initiatives in order to strengthen the recruitment and retention of top talent and expand franchise and supplier opportunities. His position reinforces Yum!’s commitment to create a workplace culture that actively seeks diversity in others to expand the Company’s thinking and reflect the changing demographics of customers worldwide while driving outstanding business results.

Prior to assuming his current role in early 2011, James led the domestic Taco Bell field human resources function. He also has an extensive 15 year restaurant operations background.

James is currently Vice-Chair of the Conference Boards Council of Global Diversity & Inclusion Executives, Chair of the PeopleReport Advisory Board, and member of the Board for the Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance, as well as a member of the WFF Global D&I Committee. He has served as a mentor as part of the Black Achiever’s Program and as President of the Board of Education for St. Mary’s Catholic School. Additionally, he has served as a member of the Kansas State University Marketing and International Advisory Committee, as well as the University of Missouri at Columbia Hotel Restaurant Management Advisory Committee. James holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Management.

James and his wife Cathy have three sons and reside in the Dallas Metro area.