Chipotle adds ex-KFC chief Sabir Sami to its board

Chipotle Mexican Grill has appointed Sabir Sami, KFC's global chief executive until last year, to its board of directors, weeks after the burrito chain posted its first same-store sales decline in decades.

The company announced the move on 14 September, effective immediately. Sami spent 16 years at Yum! Brands, the parent of KFC, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill, rising from general manager roles in Canada and Turkey to chief operating officer of KFC and managing director of KFC Asia and of its Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey markets. He led KFC globally from January 2022 to February 2025, then founded the consultancy Sami Advisory in August 2025. He also sits on the board of Save the Children Canada and holds an MBA from the University of Karachi.

"I'm thrilled to join Chipotle's Board at such an exciting time for the company," Sami said in the announcement. "With an iconic brand and global fanfare, Chipotle has an immense opportunity to bring its craveable menu to more guests around the world."

A KFC lifer joins Chipotle's board just as investors start asking for proof, not promises.

A board short on restaurant experience

Sami becomes Chipotle's 11th director, and one of only two with hands-on restaurant operating experience alongside chairman Scott Maw, a former airline finance chief. Chief executive Scott Boatwright, who took over after Brian Niccol's abrupt departure for Starbucks in 2024, is counting on that background as the chain pushes further overseas.

"Sabir brings deep restaurant operating expertise and a proven track record leading brands across international markets," Maw said. "That experience will be invaluable as we scale Chipotle with intention, strengthen our operations and expand access to our brand around the world."

A turnaround under investor watch

The appointment lands as Chipotle works through its bumpiest stretch in years. Same-store sales fell for the first time in decades before ticking back up, beef and labour costs have squeezed margins, and the stock has lost much of its value from its 2024 highs, according to Semafor. Some customers have taken to social media to dismiss the chain's smaller portions as "slop bowls".

Boatwright's response, a turnaround plan called Recipe for Growth, is still finding its footing. Rivals are betting on other fixes: DoorDash's $425m wager on robot kitchens assumes software, not a boardroom hire, is what protects margins. Fast-casual executives and takeover-defence advisers told Semafor they expect Chipotle to draw activist investor interest given the scale of the decline; the company declined to comment on that possibility when asked. Chipotle has not said which committee Sami will join, but a board member who steered a global fried-chicken chain through its own reinvention gives it an operator's voice it has largely lacked, just as investors start asking for results rather than resumes.