Rather than chasing fancy titles or splashy paychecks throughout her career, she’s gravitated toward jobs that pushed her out of her comfort zone, forced her to take risks, and taught her to embrace a little chaos.

“I wasn’t chasing money, I wasn’t chasing title,” Tan-Gillespie, 52, told Fortune. “I was chasing opportunities that put me in the learning zone as opposed to in the comfort zone—and tried to keep me out of the panic zone.”

Tan-Gillespie grew up in a middle-class household in the U.K., with her mom working as a nurse and her dad a lighting director for the BBC, and her experience in the restaurant industry began early. At 13, Tan-Gillespie landed a job washing dishes at Beefeater, a now-defunct British restaurant chain, for just £1.20 an hour (about £3.62 or $4.84 today, adjusted for inflation).

She eventually was promoted over to the ice cream machine—and began to grow fond of the adrenaline-like rush that can come with working in a restaurant. Tan-Gillespie ultimately stayed with the chain throughout secondary school, later rising to assistant general manager.

“I can say from firsthand experience, restaurant jobs are incredible in terms of the pressure, the pace, the teamwork, the accountability, the discipline of following standard operating procedures—but then having your own personality to delight customers,” she said.

“I think that was probably formative in my career, certainly in terms of interacting with the customer part of it and building strong teams.”

Tan-Gillespie eventually became the first in her family to attend college, studying business at the University of Plymouth and graduating in 1996. From there, she built a career in marketing—starting with an internship at HP to various roles at companies like Frito-Lay and Sony Pictures.

How Richard Branson inspired Tan-Gillespie’s career ethos

As Tan-Gillespie’s career developed, so did her aspirations. She eventually developed a role model in Richard Branson, the British billionaire who founded Virgin Group—so much so that she wanted to become the “female Richard Branson.”

“I love that he’s being innovative and creative, but he’s doing the right thing by the customers and by people,” Tan-Gillespie said. “I had this thesis that I want to see if I can be the female version of him, and that was really the genesis of everything I’ve done since.”

That ambition has also meant more than climbing the ladder, she’s also been willing to walk away from companies where she felt the culture wouldn’t let her thrive.

“I did exit companies if I didn’t feel that the culture would allow my personality to give the behaviors that would make me successful,” she added. “And I joined companies that I didn’t think I would, such as KFC and [parent company] Yum, because I fell in love with their culture.”

In 2015, Tan-Gillespie joined KFC South Pacific, overseeing marketing in Australia and New Zealand. Two years later, she became the chain’s global chief marketing officer. She went on to lead KFC Canada in 2024 before taking over its U.S. business in April 2025.

Now, Tan-Gillespie is tasked with getting KFC’s American business back on track as the brand faces growing competition paired with more health-conscious and cash-strapped consumers. The chain’s U.S. sales fell 3% year over year in 2025 and were down another 2% in its most recent reported quarter.

Part of that strategy is to connect with younger consumers, hence a recent partnership with 21-year-old livestreamer iShowSpeed along with innovating with menu items, branding, and store layout. This month, it was reported that KFC ended its roughly four-decade-long partnership with Pepsi in favor of rival Coca-Cola.

Tan-Gillespie’s advice for Gen Z: Embrace fear and speak up for what you want

In her role, Tan-Gillespie interacts with Gen Z daily, whether at KFC’s corporate office or one of its more than 3,400 U.S. locations. And while she recognized the anxieties young people face entering the workforce, she sees plenty to admire in the generation.

In particular, she said she respects their willingness to speak their minds, be themselves, and push for the opportunities they want.

“So much is on their terms, which I really respect. They know who they are and what they want, which I love,” Tan-Gillespie said.

She encourages young people to keep advocating for themselves and others, even when doing so feels uncomfortable. One piece of advice she often returns to comes from the 1987 self-help book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway: Don’t let fear keep you from taking a chance.

“Courage is not the absence of fear,” Tan-Gillespie said. “Courage is actually feeling fearful about the future or jobs—but actually just saying, ‘Okay, what would I do if I wasn’t scared?’”

The answer, she added, can be revealing. When facing a difficult decision, whether at work or in life, she recommends asking one final question: “What’s the worst that can happen?”