Hyderabad: KFC India on Sunday announced the recent appointment of Srikanth Jarugu as its first specially-abled Restaurant General Manager (RGM) in India.
This announcement comes from the brand’s flagship program of KFC Kshamata – an effort from the MNC towards ‘Feeding People’s Potential’ by bridging the gender and ability imbalance gap. “In his new role as RGM, Srikanth will be heading restaurant operations & management, along with leading the team at the KFC restaurant at Central Mall in Hyderabad,” the Fast-food restaurant brand informed in a press note.
Srikanth has been with KFC since 2008 when he joined as a team member. He went on to become a senior team member in 2010, made shift manager in 2012, an assistant restaurant manager in 2013, and through his dedication and commitment, grew into the role of a restaurant general manager in 2022. He is the first specially-abled RGM for KFC and the firm called his growth an ‘inspiration’ for his colleagues.
The firm reiterated that the ‘KFC Kshamata’ program is a focused effort toward driving 2X empowerment by 2024. “The program takes forward the brand’s Diversity & Inclusion agenda, aiming to bridge the gender imbalance gap by increasing women’s workforce at their restaurants by 2X by 2024,” KFC said.
Likewise, striding to develop an inclusive workplace, KFC said that it is working towards doubling the footprint of Special KFCs, operated by hearing & speech impaired team members, by 2024. “The bold targets of the program are supplemented with a sharp focus on training, retention, and progression of these team members into key restaurant leader roles; keeping with the brand promise of ‘Feeding People’s Potential’,” it said.
The MNC firm informed that at present, the brand operates 30+ Special KFCs powered by more than 150 specially-abled team members across the country. “Taking the commitment beyond the ambit of its restaurants, KFC entered into a landmark partnership with the Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA) to build visibility and growth for the sport of deaf cricket in the country,” it informed.
“As ‘Principal Sponsor’ to the men, women, and junior deaf cricket teams, the brand facilitates conducting tournaments, building visibility, and exploring growth opportunities for speech & hearing-impaired cricketers, along with the Indian Deaf Cricket Association. As the program progresses, the brand looks to celebrate many more specially-abled RGMs as Srikanth,” KFC said.
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