Day in the Life… Faye Ryder-Humphries
In this latest Day in the Life interview, we speak with Faye Ryder-Humphries, head of people at Wingstop UK, who is leading the expansion of the brand’s workforce while driving a culture of engagement and growth.
Before embarking on your career, you spent four years travelling and working in the US and Australia. Can you tell us more about that?
It was two years in Florida and two in Australia. Florida came first, through my university’s sandwich course. I worked in entrance operations at Universal Studios, started as a ticket scanner and within three weeks was promoted. I ended up as an entrance operations manager, and I went back the following year to support opening The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. That was a wild ride – high volume, high energy. I loved every second.
After university, I was itching to travel again so I spent two years exploring the west coast of Australia. I did everything from working in crocodile parks to milking cows. I started in a remote town called Coral Bay, 12 hours north of Perth, and travelled all the way to Broome, Perth and Busselton. It was a real adventure.
Tell us about your journey to Wingstop UK.
I’ve always had a love for hospitality – I started at 15 in a little pub called The Plough. I studied Events Management at Manchester Met, and my degree’s sandwich structure gave me those stints in Florida. That travel bug really stuck with me, hence the two years in Australia.
When I came back to the UK, I joined TGI Fridays and spent six years there. I absolutely loved it, and it shaped a lot of who I am professionally. I worked my way up from assistant manager to general manager, but I realised I wanted to focus more on people than operations. So, I made the leap into HR, did my master’s in HR Management, and started working in debt management before landing my first official HR role.
That took me to a large-scale forecourt retail business, that business had 12 brands and 26,000 employees. Then three years ago – almost to the day – I joined Wingstop. And honestly, it’s been the best job I’ve ever had.
Wingstop UK is special. It moves fast, grows fast, and the people are incredible.
In your role of head of people, what does a typical working day look like?
That’s a tough one, no day is ever quite the same. My role is like the song Bohemian Rhapsody, it changes tempo and genre constantly. Some days are high-intensity and fast-moving, other days are reflective and strategic.
I predominantly work from home – my spare room has become my secret weapon for productivity. But I still love getting back into operations and getting stuck in with the teams. Just yesterday I was at the Trafford Centre celebrating one of our team members’ achievements. That mix of strategic and hands-on is what makes my role so fulfilling.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
That’s easy – it’s seeing our people grow. We now have a clear leadership programme that takes someone from crew member to district manager. I was in our Ealing store the other day and overheard someone talking about a team member who joined us last year and is now about to become a general manager. Those moments? They’re everything. Full circle.
That brings us to Wingstop University – we’ve heard exciting things. Can you tell us more?
It’s launching fully in July, so I won’t give too much away. But Wingstop University is going to be our end-to-end learning experience. It’ll hold everything including training materials, learning modules, leadership development, and career mapping.
It’s designed to help everyone, whether they’re looking to pick up management skills while studying or aiming to become the next CEO of Wingstop UK. We’re innovating with our learning management system, and Craig Benson, our Senior L&D Manager, has done an incredible job leading this. It’s something we’re really proud of.
And beyond L&D, what other people initiatives are you working on?
A big one is our talent acquisition strategy; making sure we scale with quality as we grow. We’re investing in employer branding, refining our recruitment processes, and thinking carefully about inclusivity and tone of voice.
We’re also doubling down on protecting our culture as we expand. We’re not interested in being just a pit stop job – we want to be a place where people grow long-term. That means connecting with our local communities, developing our employee value proposition, and asking ourselves: “What does it mean to be part of Wingstop for life?”
You have a very busy role. How do you maintain a work-life balance?
That’s a really important one for me, because I’m very aware of the example I set when it comes to work-life balance. I don’t want to be a hypocrite – it matters that I live out what I encourage in others.
Honestly, I’m quite strict with myself. I move with intent, purpose, and pace at work. That focus allows me to be disciplined with my time, and in turn, I make space for other things outside of work.
Growing up, I always had this fear – I didn’t want to blink and suddenly be 40 with regret. So, in my career, when the time came to leap, I leapt. When the opportunity to travel came, I went. I’ve always followed that instinct, and that drive is still very much alive. I’m 36 now, so 40 isn’t too far away – but so far, no regrets!
And on top of that, you’re a parent.
Yes! My wife and I have a son – he’s turning three soon. So, when we talk about “relaxing,” it’s a bit of a moving target. Right now, relaxing usually looks like watching whatever Disney film he’s obsessed with. Lately, it’s Moana 2. I’ve watched it a thousand times on loop, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
When I do get real downtime, I love being in the garden. I’m a big barbecue fan – especially if I have friends over and an audience to cook for. That’s my happy place. We also have a monthly games night with a close-knit group of friends. A couple of weeks ago, we played The Traitors board game. I was the traitor, and I won! That one night a month I really value.
You’ve achieved so much at a young age. It’s clear you move at pace.
That’s always kind of been my way. I’ve got a strong work ethic, and I’ve learned so much from my parents. They’re hard grafters, and that’s rubbed off on me and I owe everything to them. I was always itching to get into work, to get out there and do something – and to not be afraid of jumping into new challenges.
That spirit was there when I joined Wingstop. I left a huge, established brand in TGI Fridays to join a much smaller one. We were on store number 15 when I started. Now, we’re at 64 and counting.
Of course, I’ve been lucky – but I also believe the decisions I’ve made have been kind to me because of the work I’ve put in. For me, success is all down to hard work, a little bit of luck, and a lot of passion.
