- Examining why leading Food Safety in a corporate and global environment can be a daunting task, that requires much more than the technical credentials young leaders often depend on
- Why Coaching and developing the next generation of Food Safety Leaders means changing the narrative and building Business Leaders who lead Food Safety
- Finding your way as a Food Safety Leader in the corporate environment is challenging for new leaders. Influencing and driving change requires more Art than Science and many are only equipped with the Science
- Credibility means building trust. Focus on building authentic relationships during peace time that carry you through conflict
- Governance and authority; where do they come from and how not to flex either
Mary Weaver Gertz
Chief Food Safety & Quality Assurance Officer
Yum! Brands
Mary has been a Food Safety and Quality leader in the retail and restaurant space for over 25 years. She has been with YUM! brands as a Food Safety leader for almost 10 years and was elevated to Chief Food Safety & Quality Officer in 2020. YUM brands includes KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger grill and Mary’s accountability spans over 50,000 restaurants and 9,000 suppliers across 140 countries. Mary leads Yum!’s Food Safety governance and restaurant Food Safety vision and is defining the next generation ecosystem for global Food Safety Systems. Prior to taking a leadership role in YUM’s Global Food Safety Team she led Food Safety & Quality Assurance at KFC US. Her previous experience includes one of the US’s largest retailers; Target and NSF International, bringing invaluable experience in retail, restaurant and technical consulting. Mary also recently began serving as a member of the Global Food Safety Initiative Steering Committee.
Mary consistently drives for results combining her passion and commitment to Food Safety with heart led leadership and a commercial understanding of a globally operating business.
