Reputation Building is Bottom Up and Top Down, and Requires Internal, External Communication

[Editor’s Note: Shaffra Gray-Read, senior reputation manager for KFC (UK & Ireland), is a finalist in the arts & media rising star category for the 8th annual Black British Business Awards 2021. Prior to joining KFC earlier this year, she worked at Weber Shandwick, as well as at the UK’s Home Office, leading its Brexit communication strategy. In addition to reputation, she’s worked in crisis communication, media relations, corporate affairs and strategic communication. In this interview, we asked what KFC is doing to bolster its reputation. We also discussed her interest in diversity & inclusion as well as her penchant for using data. Gray-Read spoke with us in early August from London. Her remarks were lightly edited for space. A shorter version of this interview will appear in the September edition of PRNEWS.]

PRNEWS: Please give us an example of something KFC is doing to build reputation.

Shaffra Gray-Read ,senior reputation manager, KFC (UK & Ireland)

Shaffra Gray-Read: One of the things I’ve been working on is a partnership with Keep Britain Tidy, which is a charity for the environment. We’ve partnered with them on their Great British Spring Clean.

During the pandemic the UK has had a bit of a litter problem, people disposing of litter in public spaces, people going to restaurants [for take-out] and disposing their litter on streets.