PETER R. HEARL
Biography – at November, 2011
Before retiring from full time corporate life in April 2008, Peter Hearl was based in Dallas, Texas and
Louisville, Kentucky working for the world’s largest restaurant company, YUM Brands as global Chief
Operating & Development Officer, a position he assumed in 2006.
Prior to that, he was President and CEO of YUM Brand’s US Pizza Hut division, based in Dallas, Texas.
Before heading up Pizza Hut from late 2002, Hearl was Executive Vice President and Chief People
Officer at Yum! Brands, based in Louisville, Kentucky; a position he assumed in 2001 with
responsibility for YUM’s global Human Resource function.
From 1999 until 2001, he was based in Dallas, Texas as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer for Yum! Restaurants International (YRI), the international division of Yum! Brands, Inc. In
this role he oversaw much of the growth in YUM’s KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell businesses outside
the U.S. and the institutionalizing of YUM’s global culture.
Hearl began his career in the oil industry with Esso Australia Ltd, a subsidiary of oil giant Exxon, in
1973. During an18 year career with Exxon he held a variety of senior strategic planning, marketing and
operations positions in Australia and the United States.
In 1991, Hearl joined PepsiCo as KFC Australia’s Director of Operations and in 1993 moved to London
where as Regional Vice President, he led KFC’s business in the UK, Ireland, Continental Europe and
parts of Africa.
In 1996, he moved back to Sydney as Regional Vice President for PepsiCo Restaurants International,
overseeing the KFC and Pizza Hut businesses in Australia, New Zealand and Southern Africa.
In 1997, when PepsiCo spun off its restaurant businesses to form YUM, Hearl accepted the position of
Region Vice President for YRI Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong. In this role he had responsibility for
leading the growth of YUM Brands throughout Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Indian sub- continent,
the Middle East and North Africa.
Hearl is an Australian citizen. He graduated with merit, from the University of New South Wales (UNSW)
in 1973 with a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) degree, as well as being a graduate of the Australian
Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
He is currently a director of the Australian and New Zealand listed food company Goodman Fielder
Limited. He is also a member of the UNSW’s Australian School of Business Alumni Leaders Group as
well as being an honorary member and director of The Fred Hollows Foundation, an Australian based
international NGO focused on eliminating preventable blindness around the world.
In addition to his Australian based activities he spends part of his time in the US attending to his business
interests there, which include 2 small private equity casual dining restaurant companies. He is also honorary
Chairman of the US based UNSW Study Abroad-Friends and US Alumni Inc.
He and his wife, Helen, were married in 1973 and have 3 adult children and twin grandchildren. He and Helen
share a passion for sports, the theatre, reading and travel.