McDonald’s lines up CEO successor
McDonald’s has elected US president Don Thompson to the role of president and chief operating officer worldwide, putting him at the front of the line to succeed to the CEO position.
Current CEO Jim Skinner says:” Don Thompson has done an outstanding job leading our U.S. business, and I am confident he will bring the same energy and innovative thinking to his new global role as President and Chief Operating Officer
Andy McKenna, Chairman of McDonald’s Board, say:” Don is a great example of McDonald’s remarkable ability to develop leaders who are immediately prepared to step up to the next level of executive responsibilities.
Thompson, 46, joined McDonald’s in 1990 as an engineer in the Restaurant Systems Group and moved into restaurant operations four years later.
He became regional manager of the San Diego Region in 1998, and was promoted to regional VP a year later. He progressed through several positions and in 2006 was named president of McDonald’s US.
Jan Fields, currently executive vice president and COO for McDonald’s USA, to succeed Thompson will become president of McDonald’s US.
Rival Burger King’s global chief marketing officer Russ Klein has just stepped down from his post after a leave of absence.
Peter Robinson, the chain’s former president of the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business will oversee global marketing in the interim while company searches for a replacement.
