Sam Ullrich

Sam Ullrich is an accomplished finance professional with 15 years of experience in financial management and investor relations. After serving as the Director of Financial Planning and Restuarant Economics for KFC, it was announced in May 2024 that Ullrich had been appointed as the VP of Investor Relations for Churchill Downs Incorporated.

Major Achievements

Ullrich is a seasoned financial expert with a career that has seen him tackling leadership roles for a range of well-known companies. Following five years as the Director of Financial Planning and Restuarant Economics for KFC (and a further four years for the company in a variety of other roles), Ullrich became appointed as the Vice President of Investor Relations at Churchill Downs Incorporated. 

In this Vice-Presidential role, Ullrich reports to Marcia Dall – EVP and CFO at Churchill Downs – and is responsible for managing all aspects of investor relations, collaborating with current and prospective shareholders and providing key insights to analysts. 

In addition to his stints at KFC and Churchill Downs, Ullrich has made sure to balance his career with charitable excursions too. He has served as the Treasurer of the board of Directors for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He has been supporting this fund since April 2019.

Employment

Ullrich graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Business Administration in Finance in 2008. He then stayed at the University of Kentucky where he worked as an Accounting Assistant before moving on in 2009. 

Ullrich’s career then began in full swing when he joined PwC in January 2009. Here, he worked as an Assurance Senior Associate for four years before stepping away at the end of 2012. 

Following on from this, Ullrich joined Yum! Brands as a Senior Analyst in External Reporting in November 2012. His expertise in financial analysis and reporting was honed during his time at Yum! and he ended up holding the Senior Analyst role for two and a half years before moving on in April 2015.  

Immediately after, Ullrich transitioned to KFC. At KFC, he initially took on the role of Manager of Restaurant Economics. Following on from his strong performance in this role, however, Ullrich was promoted to the position of Senior Manager of Financial Planning in September 2017. 

After a year and a half in the Senior Manager position, Ullrich jumped up the ranks again, becoming the company’s Director of Financial Planning and Restaurant Economics in January 2019. He held this position until May 2024, although from October 2022 to June 2023, he also served as the Interim CFO of KFC.

Finally, in May 2024, it was announced that Ullrich had been appointed as Vice President of Investor Relations at Churchill Downs Incorporated.