Nothing chicken about KFC's ambition to be SA's most inclusive brand

National Women’s Month is an opportunity to honour and celebrate the women who, on August 9 1956, marched to the Union Buildings to protest against the apartheid pass laws which curtailed their civil rights, freedom and ability to earn a living. 

Today, women’s participation in the economy remains a hot topic, going beyond just addressing gender inequality and diversity in the workplace to ensuring there is female representation in key decision-making and leadership positions. So, this month KFC Africa is taking a moment to ask the question: “who is seated at your table?”

While efforts to address gender inequality in the workplace have boosted female representation at every level within organisations, the reality is that corporate SA is far from being fully representative. Organisations must continue to create an environment and culture where all voices are heard, respected and valued, where the table is big enough for all. 

Championing inclusivity and better representation is, in fact, good for business. Numerous reports 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. 

Yes, the gender gap continues to close globally, with the World Economic Forum's 2023 Global Gender Gap Index report showing a 0.3 percentage points improvement compared to 2022, which represents a 68.4% in terms of closing of the gap. At this rate of progress, however, it will take 131 years to reach full global parity.

In SA, where 51% of the economically active population is female, the gap is even wider. Women comprise only 40% of directorships at state-owned entities, with just 36.7% representation in the professional services industry and only 26.9% of directorship positions at JSE-listed entities.

From a broader continent perspective, while Sub-Saharan Africa has closed 67.9% of its gender gap, it also means that 32% of women on average are less likely to have the same opportunities as men in the region — with individual country performances varying greatly.

As a result of these disappointing stats, KFC Africa has some bold ambitions when it comes to making a seat at the table for women.

“Female empowerment is about ingraining true transformation into the core of an organisation; it must be driven throughout the value chain and embedded into the social fabric of the business to ensure it lasts,” says Akhona Qengqe, who was recently appointed as KFC Africa's first female general manager.

“As a people-first business, KFC Africa is committed to becoming the most inclusive organisation in the traditionally male-dominated quick service restaurant sector across Sub-Saharan Africa, and to actively advocate for allyship in every sphere within the business. As a customer-facing business, it is important that our employees, stakeholders and franchise partners reflect the communities that we operate in.” 

KFC has placed women at the forefront of its socially-led initiatives and its hiring processes. For example, KFC Add Hope — a programme that collects donations in-store to fund meals for children in need — has a 60% female volunteer complement. In addition, 90% of the Add Hope beneficiary organisations, which KFC work with, are championed by women.

Not to mention that KFC Mini-Cricket — a sports programme teaching youth the fundamentals of teamwork, leadership and self-belief — boasts a female volunteer community of 70%.

In fact, today the organisation employs over 40,000 people across 23 markets in Sub-Saharan Africa in over 1,250 restaurants, and 60% of those restaurants are managed by women. This is testament to the brand's commitment to female transformation. 

“Giving women leadership opportunities to drive some of the core aspects of the overall business and bringing them into key decision-making roles ensures that their voices and views are represented in a meaningful and impactful way,” says Qengqe. 

But more than simply aiming to meet representation targets, Qengqe explains that KFC is intentional about how it creates an environment where women feel like they belong and can contribute meaningfully at a decision-making level. 

“Gender equality at corporate level means understanding issues that women face, be it gender-based violence, single-income households, women-led households and family responsibility, and truly dig deep to ensure that the company provides support mechanisms that speak to real-life issues,” says Nolo Thobejane, chief people and transformation officer at KFC.

In this regard, KFC Africa develops, empowers and emboldens women to leverage their innate leadership qualities and take their seat at the table with the confidence to lead with impact and fuel results.

KFC achieves this though its Women on the Move Programme, which 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. 

Conceptualised by Qengqe and launched in 2021, 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.

“We have 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, and affords them the opportunity to share experiences, learning, challenges and create growth networks in the workplace,” says Thobejane.

In the end, rather than rising into leadership roles in isolation, KFC's approach to female allyship creates powerful advocates for true upliftment. This process gives women the opportunity to achieve their goals, and creates a virtuous cycle of support, where women can pull up more chairs to make room for more female voices at the table.

“We understand the unique perspective and values women bring to our company and are bold in our ambitions to create opportunities for more inclusion, equity and belonging. Our commitment to advance more women into senior roles and achieving greater gender parity in senior leadership, globally, by 2030 is stronger than ever and we will continue to make fundamental steps to become the most inclusive brand in SA,” says Qengqe.

This article was sponsored by KFC Africa.