Career Advice From the Farmer’s Son Leading Sustainability at KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell
Yum!’s sustainability chief Jon Hixson meets with the board every quarter, which helps keep his strategy front of mind.
Nov 19, 2025 11:00 AM ET
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Originally published by Trellis
By Heather Clancy
Yum! Brands’ lead sustainability executive, Jon Hixson, grew up on a Kansas farm and cultivated a career in agriculture before pivoting to 10 years on Capitol Hill then leaping to a private-sector role in public affairs at Cargill in 2005. There, he interacted with hundreds of small-holder farmers across Asia, working on sourcing policies for coconut oil and palm oil.
Hixson encourages early-career sustainability professionals to seek a similar diversity of perspectives with their career choices, especially roles in which they must manage a budget, even if that’s counter to their instincts.
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