Employee turnover in the FMCG sector runs significantly higher than in most other industries, with some estimates showing up to 15% of employees leaving during their probationary period alone, and nearly 28% exiting within the first year. In this session, Saira Khan, Chief People Officer at KFC Pakistan, and Ana Carolina Mason, Head of HR at Americana Foods, unpack what’s driving this attrition and what HR can realistically do about it.

The conversation covers how organizations should benchmark leadership and critical-role salaries against competitors, with both speakers pointing to the 60th to 75th percentile as a meaningful target for retaining top talent in a market where salary alone rarely explains why people stay or leave. They also address how to fast-track high-potential employees through accelerated career paths, cross-functional exposure, and clearer purpose, rather than relying on traditional multi-year progression timelines that no longer match how younger talent thinks about growth.

The session closes on two structural issues: the disconnect between job descriptions and actual day-to-day responsibilities that leaves new hires misaligned from day one, and the shift required to move frontline and retail teams away from a command-and-control management style toward one built on coaching, clarity, and accountability for outcomes rather than process.