After 20 years in London—raising two children and leading KFC’s U.K. and Ireland division—it was time for Meg Farren to come back stateside. The move was more than geographic. It meant uprooting her family, managing what she calls “life admin” and big emotions, and stepping into her biggest role yet: president of Taco Bell North America. “I was getting to know a new organization and learning how to navigate these relationships while driving great performance and delivering well for your team and customers—all while managing a huge family transition,” Farren reflects. “I have depths of resilience, and I’ve been lucky to land with a team who cares about me … it’s been a big step up, but totally worth it.” For the first six months of her tenure, Farren commuted back and forth from London, waiting for the school year to end before relocating her family. She built relationships over Zoom when she had to—but once she was officially stateside, she went straight to the field. She met second- and third-generation franchisees, traveled with them, listened to managers, and leaned on their experience with the brand. “Sometimes you see people come into a new role and feel like they have to prove themselves by telling others what they should be doing,” Farren says. “But the heart of great trust and collaboration is an ability to listen really well and slowly start to say, ‘Have we tried this?’” That early listening tour gave her a front-row seat to something bigger. One…
