KFC Adds New "C-Suite" Position, Chief Chicken Officer, and Names Aaron Person to the Post

06/28/2011 - LOUISVILLE, Ky.- KFC names Aaron Person as the company's first Chief Chicken Officer.  In this newly created position, Person will serve as spokesman for the rollout of the restaurant chain’s new Cook Certification Program. Thousands of KFC cooks across the country will participate in this initiative as the chain works to ensure each and every restaurant location continues to maintain the quality Colonel Sanders demanded more than 70 years ago. 

“I’ve had the honor of cooking Colonel Sanders’ recipes every day for the past 25 years and I can’t believe I’ve been chosen from more than 5,000 KFC cooks nationwide to take on this new role of Chief Chicken Officer at KFC. 

Barry Westrum, Chief Marketing Officer at KFC remarked "At KFC we pride ourselves on having trained cooks in every one of our kitchens coast to coast, preparing the world’s best chicken that our customers know and love every day.  Our CCO was selected from a long list of KFC cooks who have exemplary work records and are great role models for their coworkers. We are confident our restaurants across the country will benefit from Aaron’s ‘So Good’ advice.” 

Person will star in videos designed to reinforce how to best prepare Original Recipe® chicken “The Hard Way” – hand-breading and cooking the chicken fresh every day, just like Colonel Sanders did. The chain is currently airing commercials starring actual KFC cooks instead of actors, showcasing a number of the cooks from KFC kitchens across the country - some who have been loyal to KFC kitchens for more than 20 years. 

“I’ve had the honor of cooking Colonel Sanders’ recipes every day for the past 25 years and I can’t believe I’ve been chosen from more than 5,000 KFC cooks nationwide to take on this new role of Chief Chicken Officer at KFC,” said Person. “I’m excited to team up with our incredible roster of cooks all over the country so we can continue to elevate the service we provide our consumers at KFC each and every day.” 

In his 25 years as a cook at KFC, Person has developed a passion for teaching new cooks how to best prepare the chain’s beloved chicken. The high standards he holds himself to every day are evident through the accolades he’s already received in his career. Earlier this year, Person was recognized by KFC President John Cywinski for “outstanding product” and he was once the only participant in a company team challenge to receive a perfect score for preparing chicken.