James Fripp
Senior Director of Global Diversity and Inclusion
Yum! Brand Inc.
Irvine, CA USA
“It’s not what happens to you; it’s what you do about what happens to you. Don’t settle, don’t quit—figure out a different avenue.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationJames Fripp
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I grew up as a military brat: my family bounced all around the country and the world.
In high school, I took a class called DECA that required me to find a job to pass the class.
My sister was working at Taco Bell, so I decided to follow in her footsteps.
My original job at Taco Bell was in a janitorial position, picking up trash outside the restaurant.
I wanted to join the military, but was disqualified from serving because of my eczema.
Once that was no longer an option, I went back to Taco Bell and put everything I had into the job.
I climbed up the ladder and now work in a corporate position at their parent company, Yum!
I believe everything happens for a reason: I’m still serving people, just in a different sense.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Senior Director of Global Diversity and Inclusion
I work to make sure our company leadership represents the demographics of the countries we serve.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Travel
Helping People
Day to Day
What I do every day is engage people; to the layman, it probably looks like I walk around different offices and say “hi” to people all day long! But what I’m actually doing is trying to figure out what’s working or not working, see how people are feeling, and analyzing our culture to see what we need to do differently and what we can do better. My main goal is to build diversity and inclusion into our culture throughout our organization, from the restaurant to the C-Suite.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Know that just because one door closes, that doesn’t mean it was necessarily the right door for you in the first place. Do what you’re passionate about, but accumulate a broad range of experiences so you can really see where your talents and passions lie.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
"'You’ve been permanently disqualified from military service' --due to a rash on my hands."
